#thylead

[badassindistress]

The Thylead (Session 23)

We, in the temple built for unknown Gods,

Beat those who by their words would not be bound

Thalestris, home again against all odds

As High Priestess witnessed the new Queen crowned.

Thalestris shouts to Daran that the false Queen is there and she should do as she judges best. Everyone gets the chance to look away from the Medusa Queen, except Iliana, to whom bad things happen.

Phryné trances and foretells two good events. Faux Makhaila goes into some sort of a rage. She tries to hurt Cleophe but Cleophe strugs everything off, including the Medusa’s glare. {verse 54} The Medusa attacks her with her hairsnakes. Iliana shrugs off the petrification, just like Phryné foretold, and burning hands the imposters. Mania tries to hit the fake Queen with her staff with her eyes closed and fails. The snakehair poisons her.

Cleophe’s spirit guardians hit Fake Makaila so hard she explodes. Nobody knows why. Sadly she takes Basil with her in the flying shrapnel. She seems to have been made of metal. Azelma holds up a handmirror in front of her face to try and reflect the Queen’s gaze.

Azelma hits the wall with her eyes closed. The Medusa slashes her claws at Mania, grapples her and tries to use her snake eyes to make Mania look at her. She uses all her power to make Mania look at her, but as Phryné foretold, Mania withstands her gaze. Mania tells her she has no right to this throne or this island and tries to curse her, but the medusa laughs it off, intimately familiar with curses.

Daran leaps forward with a war cry and slashes at the medusa. She looks her straight in the eye and doesn’t flinch. It makes the medusa let go of Mania. {Verse 55} She gets attacked for it, gets slashed at and poisoned and passes out in the fake Queen’s eyes. The medusa stabs her again. Phryné foretells her own success as she runs to Daran with wide open eyes to cure her.

Iliana burning hands the Queen again, who still has a hold of Daran. The medusa tries to shove her way out. Thalestris runs after her. Thalestris nearly kills her. Phryné runs up close and knocks her out with the hilt of her dagger. Thalestris and Azelma immediately tie her up, Thalestris heals Daran. Thalestris picks up the fake Queen’s silver helmet it disintegrates in her hands. Thalestris remembers the room as the inner altar of the temple. There’s a statue of Lutheria that Thalestris feels a strange urge to touch (not a compulsion).

Iliana takes the makaila-bot’s faceplate and sees that this is very good magical craftsmanship, a robot body with illusion magic bolstering it. It’s probably tied to the Fake Queen’s illusion magic. Phryné gives the medusa a sedative to keep her down. They clean up the room, stashing the other bodies in the bedroom.

Thalestris does not want them to mess around with the altar room. She asks Daran if she feels anything when she looks at the statue. Daran says it’s unsettling. Mania didn’t feel the need to touch it either. It’s a white marble statue of Lutheria with her scythe and onyx eyes. Phryné throws her bones to ask if Daran should say her secret royal words in the room. The bones say it would be good.

Daran thanks Phryné for rescuing her and asks her and Thalestris to come witness with her. Mania helps Daran clean up and they go upwards to find the guard amazons. The guards immediately salute the princess. Thalestris tells them they’re required downstairs In the temple. Mania tells them they’ve uncovered a traitor.

Daran kneels in front of the altar and starts chanting. Power builds up in the room and the statue begins to shake and cracks appear in it. It turns to dust. Thalestris passes out. She has a vision of a glowing golden sphere. As she looks at it, she begins to see holes on it, places that look corrupted and dark and strange on the surface. Her vision zooms out and she seems strange eldritch creatures poking and prodding at the sphere. She sees Thylea inside the sphere, suddenly she sees Lutheria, a glowing golden light from her fingertips, hands up, with a madness of staring too long into the void in her eyes. Thalestris wakes up and continues kneeling. Daran stands up and says “the Gods have recognised me as Queen of Themis. Do you witness?” The two amazons witness and acknowledge her as their Queen. IN the statue rubble is a leather choker with three rings hanging from it. She hands it to Thalestris, it was the old priestess’. Daran explains the evil Queen plot to the amazons, how her Queen-mother made the traitors swear an oath to keep her alive.

(Everyone gets 1 point of honour! Phryné and Thalestris 2 as the witnesses) Daran and her new Amazon bodyguards go and free Astarte and Osima. Cleophe gives them her sword back. They go to put the Medusa in the prison cell. The lizard folk ask if this is a good time to get freed. Mania tells them they should tell their Queen that the Chosen Ones are going to save Thylea and that she’d do well to join their cause. They want to save their smith and they ask them

Thalestris tells Daran about her vision. Daran tells her that there hasn’t been a priestess that had been able to have true vision in such a long time. Thalestris is getting quite flustered. They bond about having to train in solitude and not talking to people. Thalestris tries to give the necklace back to Daran because she won’t be able to go back to the island. Daran says that’s all the more reason to be protected, to win, to be strong. Thalestris says she’ll be strong for her, the island. Thalestris says she has to go again, because the others don’t know much about the things outside this world. Daran agrees those things are not spoken of in the outside world. Lutheria is a guardian of sorts, according to the stories Daran’s mother told her. Daran doesn’t know what would happen if things changed. Thalestris says there must have been a reason Lutheria sent her followers to take over the islands. One of the first things she did was force her followers to feed Titan’s Bane to the Hydra, she didn’t want anyone to use it. Daran promises Thalestris that when she comes back she’ll be stronger, she’ll be a worthy Queen. Thalestris promises to be a stronger priestess. As an afterthought Thalestris asks what Makaila’s symbols on her armour mean. She’s the first one who doesn’t snicker. She says it’s probably a prank and nobody was allowed to prank her. She doesn’t know what it means.

It’s a necklace for druids with spaces for three animal parts. It gives her an extra cool wildshape. She tries to get one of the other amazons to explain makaila’s symbol means. They laugh a little bit, but don’t explain. Iliana dutifully does her homework and takes notes on the medusa. She takes out the little robot, which is beeping and still trying to march. Thalestris spots it and asks what it is.

Thalestris says they should throw it in the ocean. Mania asks why. Thalestris explains her vision, that she thinks that Lutheria is messing around with extra-planar beings. Mania says that can’t be, because Kentimane protects the entirety of Thylea from the outside world. Thalestris thinks the robot is connected to Lutheria. Cleophe says the same effect happened with her family. Thalestris explains that like the underworld is part of our world, but also not. There’s lots of other worlds. Azelma asks about a kind of plane with horrible shadow creatures. Thalestris says there is, Azelma says she saw that as a kid once.

Thalestris asks if they want her to travel with them again, they all say of course, don’t you want to travel with us. Iliana wants to see what makes the robot tick. Thalestris explains they sacrifice to all the gods of all the planes to keep them happy. They don’t actually know the specific gods, it’s just that they’re there so to be safe they sacrifice.

Iliana sees the robot is a construct, infinitely self-powering with some kind of mechanism to change its shape. Thalestris shares that the titan’s blade is inside the hydra. The hydra’s intestinal fluids would damage a person.

(Having the Titan’s Blade might help Daran convince people, it’s the Queen’s weapon. The lizardfolk say Fire Island is under the constellation of the prisoner.)

Mania kneels down with the staff to get a feeling from Kentimane, to see if he’s alright. She gets a feeling of overwhelming tiredness. Then she gets a vision. She sees herself on the lip of a caldera of a volcano and sees herself falling in and massive hands forming from down below and grabbing at her. Mania comes out of her trance weeping. Phryne comes over to hug her and wipe her tears with her veil.

Thalestris says that she couldn’t tell if Lutheria was helping or harming. Mania agrees the prophecy doesn’t say that the twin titans need to be killed.

Cleophe, feeling lost, checks on her egg. She hears a little tapping side, coming from inside. After a minute, there’s a little crack and a tiny dragon crawls out. She recognises Cleophe and nuzzles into her. “There you are again” Cleophe says, as the catsized dragon shakes out her wings. Cleophe Bonds with her and both start to glow as she recites her Oath. Iris is a little silver dragon now. Mania gives Cleophe the bracelet she got her and spends a long time babytalking at Iris and scratching her little chin.

And that’s the end of this session of the Thylead…

@aporeticelenchus  @leomundstinyblog @m-siecle @pioup-pioup  @somuchbetterthanthat @abubblingcandle

#baby dragon!!!!!! #dnd #session recap #odyssey of the dragonlords #a talia original #thylead #mania's fun and flirty adventure #robots! #time to go fight a hydra gang!

[m-siecle]

9, 14, 15 for big sis Phrynè

ooh! this is long, i’ll put it under a readmore

9. What gifts would they give the other party members? And what would they like to receive?

Oooh good one hmmm... they would like a lyre, that’s for sure. And as for the others:

Iliana: there have been many gifts for her along the years: baskets of berries, straw puppets, a very poorly woven scarf... but if she ever gets the chance she’d like to buy her something very fancy and related to her studies, like an expensive book, or extra good magic paper. It’s not within budget now, but who knows.

Azelma: Based on very superficial knowledge and some things she has heard, probably something shiny, like some piece of jewlery. Since, again, it’s financially out of reach, Phryné might just take a look at Azelma’s cute and youthful looks and bake her something sweet.

Cleophé: A good piece of flint! It’s very useful, Phryné always has some with her, and Cleophé seems sensible enough to appreciate it. (This goes double for after she discovers Cleophé’s proficiency in cooking haha)

Mania: Hmm... they did have a bit of a rought start, but i think that’s starting to turn around, and Phryné is quick to anger, but does not usually hold grudges. She would most likely give her a wreath of flowers, both because she’s pretty and because she seems to appreciate pretty things.

Kallis: as she catches on to just how isolated her last 500 years have been, I think Phryné would wonder whether Kallis might not have missed some interesting stuff. So, just in case it didn’t reach the oracle, she’d give her her favourite wine from the Heartlands. Always a good gift, wine.

14. Does your character care about how they’re perceived by others? How do they change themselves to fit in with other people?

I don’t think she’s too self-concious, but she does care how she is perceived, both because she wants to be dignified and because she is aware she can be a bit too abrasive and hurt people’s feelings, which she doesn’t particularly like. 

She’s not very good at (or very interested in) putting up a facade of any sort, but if she thinks she’s behaving some way she shouldn’t, sometimes she will try to scold her feelings into order, to be braver, or more generous, or (in very rare occasions, when she feels her anger is not justified) kinder and sweeter.

(Her rate of success with the latter is about 50% of the time haha)

15. What colours are associated with your character?

Dark red, of course!

#thylead #dnd #blah #those were good and hard questions haha

[abubblingcandle]

3, 14 and 15 for Iliana please 🦇

3 - Who or what is the object of their envy?

(sorry Marta but) The object of her envy is her big sister. Being a demi god with a fate of doom is what defines Iliana and seeing her sister being the favoured one with the big destiny and the gift and just being so good and lovely is a lot for her.

14 - Does your character care about how they’re perceived by others? How do they change themselves to fit in with other people?

Iliana pretends to not care about how she is perceived as she is always perceived badly, so why not earn that instead of having it just happen to you. She refuses to change to fit in but does want to be useful in a group instead of their potential demise

15 - What colours are associated with your character?

Blues and light greens are the colours she usually wills her magic into being so I would say that :)

#thylea questions #thylead #ask meme #no titans allowed

[leomundstinyblog]

the necropolis

#the thylead #kallis character art #i know those patterns and colors are pottery not murals leave me alone

[somuchbetterthanthat]

Thylead session 11, Azelma coda 

Azelma almost asked Mania if she could take a closer look at the shield. Mania probably would have said yes -- whatever she’d felt in that tomb, she still looked panicked enough that surely she’d be happy to give the shield away. 

The only thing that stopped her was the memory of Kallis’ face in that doorway, the mistrust so clearly written in every line of her face, and god, Phryné. One careless movement and she’d probably coax Azelma into praying to whatever god she thought best to shake Sydon’s influence off of her or, worst, try to make her accept it, like some sort of inevitable calling, and the locket was burning around her neck when she abruptly stood up away from Mania, feeling like she was going to be sick if she stayed still any longer.

Her eyes instinctively fell over a little niche in the wall, less well-lit than everywhere else in the necropolis. She walked there with purpose, failing to ignore the immediate glances she felt on her back. She didn’t turn around and glare, much as she wanted to. It didn’t matter what she said, anyway. Cléophë would insist on treating her like some sort of untrained puppy, and Kallis -- Kallistrate -- 

Azelma sat in not quite shadows, safely surrounded by rock, and tried to relax her jaw. She was seething, she realized. Angry like she hadn’t felt in a very long time; angry to the point where she might have cried if she still let herself do that sort of things. 

I should have done this alone, she thought, for the first time. I was better on my own. 

It rang unpleasantly in her. She disliked trying to lie to herself. She disliked even more the fact this meant the truth was that, perhaps, she was feeling hurt, which was far worse than anger. Anger could be productive. Anger kept you up and fueled determination and even hope, if you did it properly. Anger made your fingers itch to show Kallistrate a piece of her mind and gave her a reason to see Azelma as a proper threat, if she was going to continually refuse to accept her as the allies they were meant to be --

“Oh come on,” Azelma muttered at herself and bite her thumb. It was, she’d found, the fastest way to clear her head when emotions threatened to overwhelmed her. 

She was being an idiot. She needed to breathe. She needed to cool down. So what if they didn’t trust her? They would. Obviously they would. All of them, eventually. They had to. It was the six of them who were meant to save the world, not one more, not one less. She needed to be more patient with all of them -- they weren’t like her. They all had something to settle beforehand, they all had personal problems to fix and it clearly clouded their judgement. Even Kallistrate. Especially Kallistrate, perhaps, that with her lack of memories, walking around in this place full of dead people she’d spent so much time with. 

Once everything had been fixed with her -- with them all, then they’d be able to fix the world. Properly, this time. For good. Azelma just needed to. bid her time. Do what she needed to do in the meantime. Get stronger, as she’d always planned to. Be the best she could be. 

She clutched at her locket; it was still hot, but her grandmother was quiet. She slipped it under her dress, safe away from prying, judgmental eyes, and looked at Iris instead; pretty, inspiring, golden Iris,... abruptly disappearing into the huge tomb right in front of where they were staying. She scrambled back up to her feet as silently as she could, holding her breath.

“...Did anyone see that?” Cléophë called out and then, immediately: “I think Iris wants me to touch whatever she just did. So heads up: I’m going to do that now.”

If the remark was pointed at all, it didn’t have time to annoy Azelma; for when Cléophë’s fingers brushed over the alcove, Iris reappeared, holding the most amazing, hopeful thing Azelma had ever seen in her life. 

Anger melted away as easily as snow would under the brightest, warmest summer day. There was no time for it when destiny called. She stared at the frozen dragon egg safe in Iris’ embrace, and her heart soared in her chest, fully eclipsing everything else.

#dnd #... do i need to have tag for stories #mmh #dnd stories

[badassindistress]

The Thylead (session 22)

Out of sight of the stars we ventured down

To the temple where we battled alone

Against someone with no rights to the crown

I really don’t want us to turn to stone

The portcullis slam shut, the hydra starts to stir from the noise. Azelma, cloaked in darkness and leading the way, manages to find the correct key and open the door. She finds a second door she can open as well. In front of her she sees a room with a couple of beds and two amazons who immediately jump up. They run into the room, Mania Commands one of them to Relax and tells them they’re not here to hurt them, they’re here to save the Princess. They don’t quite believe her.

Thalestris says that Astarte and Zosima sent them. They seem willing to listen to her. They ask why she brought outsiders. Thalestris says it’s a long story, that they come from Mytros and that things are not as they seem with the Queen and her closest people and that the whole island may be in danger.

They ask if the Queen is in danger. The Queen is downstairs. They ask why they didn’t give her the password to pass the Hydra.

Only people with official business should be here. Azelma tries to convince them but they don’t think she’s very honourable. They say they can speak to Thalestris, but the outsiders should be tied up and put in the cells.

Thalestris, finally embodying her own power and position, calmly tells them she trained under the former High-Priestess and her abilities

She asks to speak to the Queen, to the Princess or even Makaila. The amazons raise the portcullis. She says she think it’d be best if Thalestris’ friends wait outside. The queen sees very few people these days, she keeps to her vigils. Thalestris says it’d be dishonourable to let her escort be killed by statues. She asks to look at the cells first, because Azelma might escape otherwise. There’s two lizardfolk in the cells. One has blocked off window, for the Silent Prisoner. Mania says she can’t be locked up in a room with light, since she’s a star. The Amazon glares at her. Thalestris waves them all in the cell corridor. Mania slips through, giving Thalestris Enhanced Ability to lie and charm.

Thalestris says Makaila was concerned she was seeing the effects of oathbreaking on the Queen. She says she has abilities to help and heal. The Amazons seem very concerned and Thalestris seems very sincere and trustworthy.

In front of the cells, Azelma finds keys that match all the cells except for the center one. Iliana sees there’s a modified Darkness and Silence around that door. Azelma picks the lock anyway without a problem. Azelma says “Hi, are you the Lost Princess?” and her words are magically dampened. There’s a woman with a big scar over her face. She gives a tentative bow. Iliana presses a finger to her lips and casts Dispell Magic. Azelma gives her some water to drink.

She asks who they are. Mania explains Makaila, the real Makaila sent her.

Princess Daran 3rd of her name of Themis, she doesn’t quite know what’s going on on the Island and only had her stimfay as company. The Hydra is new, Lutheria sent it when the guards defected from Daran’s mother. She heard them training it, the codeword might be something like “by the Grace of Lutheria”. Cleophe gives Daran the sword from the Amazon, Daran looks at her a bit wide-eyed but takes it.

The lizardfolk are here because they were taken in a raid, but the Amazons wanted their smith.

Their queen would give great rewards for the return of the smith. They ask if they will return for them and the smith, the Jancan. The smith is deeper in the temple.

Jancan, neigbhourspecies of cyclops with 10 fingers on each hand, wellsuited to craft and making magical items. They agree to give them a key if they wait a bit and not betray them to the guard.

Cleophe asks their names. Hesk, Saraza, they serve Queen Vica, long may she reign. The lotus witch lives on cursed scorpion island with the centaurs.

Thalestris has gotten a bit of the layout of the temple from the Amazons. Phryné messages her that they found the princess and to either get them out or talk them deeper into the temple.

No one goes down to see the Queen unless they’re called. The Amazons (Andromeda and Pallas) stay to guard. Thalestris thanks them, she has spent a long time on the mainland and it’s really nice to be back. They nod.

Iliana turns the princess invisible, her sparrow stimfay hiding under her cloak. Mania flirts with the Amazons so they don’t pay attention to the others.

The amazons call out “By the Lady Lutheria’s Grace” and the hydra quiets down. They go down to the third level. Basil scouts ahead and only spots doors. A room full of commerative medals from games and battles and a banner with the creed; “A sisterhood of equals, our strength forged in battle, death before dishonour”

Thalestris hears breathing from her door. They decide the temple is probably not behind a bedroom and go the other way. The next room they find has two goatmen in it who immediately start insulting them. One of them turns into a giant spider. Thalestris closes the door on it and locks it. Azelma firebolts the one who got out anyway. Mania tells it it’s the ugliest thing she’s ever seen and it keels over. They decide to let the spider be and look elsewhere. Thalestris listens to another door, which sounds quiet. Thalestris solemnly apologises for doubting Basil’s earlier check. It seems to be another bedroom, a single petrified statue in the corner. It’s male and looks terrified. Thalestris tries to pass it alone. This room also seems to lead to the other room. They decide to flank the room with the breathing. There is another door round the corner. Now she’s closer, she can hear two people chanting or singing. Thalestris asks Daran if she wants to come in or wait. They explain there’s imposters here.

They decide to let Thalestris go alone and speak to them and if she says Pythor they have to come help her. Thalestris goes through the statueroom and sees two Maenads chanting and dancing. They look at her with aggressive extasy and attack. One of them dances at Thalestris and she begins to dance frantically as well. She breaks free and yells for the others to come help her. Phyrne gives Iliana resistance and calls her spiritual weapon.

The other Maenaed begins to sing to all of them, Iliana begins to sway. Mania starts dancing and singing against them, pulling her friends free form the Maenead’s charm. Azelma firebolts both of them. The Maenaed runs to slash at Azelma. Cleophe kills one. The door to the south opens, some more warrior women rushing out. They look like Lutheria worshipping assassins. They are told to protect the Queen. The maenaed slashes out at Azelma again.

Thalestris calls out they’re here to help. The assassin is completely uninterested. Cleophe intercepts her blows to Thalestris. Another assassin runs in. In the doorway they see Makaila. It looks pretty much like her.

The maenaed goes straight to Iliana and plunges a dagger into her chest. Iliana casts a wave of fire around Thalestris. Thalestris casts Erupting Earth, hitting three assassins but also herself. Two of them burnt.

The Queen, in a beautiful silver helmet, steps out behind from Makaila. She takes off her helmet and turns into a Medusa. Thalestris makes one of the assassins burst into flames, giving her friends Heroism.

Fake Makhaila runs past the spirit guardians and attacks Thalestris but misses. The spirit guardians mess her up, but she doesn’t look as hurt as she should be. Azelma finally kills the Maenaed by cutting her in half with the Shadow Blade.

Iliana, in the gaze of the false Queen, starts to turn to stone. Thalestris on her turn starts to petrify as well.

And that’s the end of this session of the Thylead…

@aporeticelenchus  @leomundstinyblog @m-siecle @pioup-pioup  @somuchbetterthanthat @guineamaina

#thylead #thylead recap #mania's fun and flirty adventure #odyssey of the dragonlords #dnd

[badassindistress]

Thylead Session 20

Under shining stars we sailed through the sea

We landed at Themis before darkest dawn

Walked through a forest made of stone, not tree

Into dead stone’s cold embrace we were drawn

Bullbug tells them the Island is spotted on the southern horizon. They decide to wait till night-time for sneaking purposes. While they wait, Mania approaches Thalestris to ask for some moral guidance. Mania has realised she’s not reacting right to the whole Amazon situation and wants Thalestris to tell her what the right things to feel and do are. Thalestris asks for any context at all and Mania explains badly that she has trouble reconciling her past feelings towards Amazons (either the best person ever or mean to her) with the current situation. Thalestris tries to explain nuance in emotion by comparing Mania to the things people say about nymphs, which doesn’t really clarify anything for Mania. She just wants Thalestris to tell her what to do. Thalestris says she can’t tell her how to feel, which Mania doesn’t understand. Mania tries to explain some more of her feelings. She wants Thalestris to be able to go back to her island because she sympathises with people not being able to go back to where they came from. She explains she can never go back to the stars until she dies, Thalestris shouldn’t have to die to go back home. Thalestris starts out with people attacking our friends are probably bad, not every amazon is automatically bad. Mania happily agrees that she could just kill anyone trying to hurt her favourites. But since this also doesn’t seem like the good solution, Thalestris is an Amazon and noble and moral so she should be able to tell Mania what the noble and moral thing to do is. Thalestris starts stammering a bit, unsure of how to answer. Mania doesn’t mind, since in her mind the question of what she should do is resolved. Thalestris wants to help her people and Mania wants to help her help her people. Thalestris is pretty sure she did not actually answer the question. Mania is content now moral issues will be handled by someone else again and tells Thalestris she’s very happy she’s here, it will be a much more balanced story this way. Thalestris isn’t sure she needs to be in a story, which Mania thinks is nonsense. "You can't be on the big boat with the chosen ones and not be in the story!" Mania starts improvising poetic epithets for Thalestris.

Cleophe makes another healthpotion, Phryne gives Iliana some tea and biscuits, Iliana Detects some Sharks.

They take the tender and make their way into the eastern bay of the island. The island is mostly grassy, with only a few trees. They find their way to a forest of statues of sailors and adventurers, all men. When they walk through, one of them grabs at Thalestris. Phryné goes into a trance and sees that someone will do extraordinarily well and someone will do very poorly. Azelma tries to pull Thalestris out but fails. A statue goes to slam into Iliana, Phryné’s portent makes it fail.

Cleophe hits it with a strong blow of her makaila, but it glances off until she smites it. Iliana Shatters two statues, chipping them. (Cleophe Nat 20 on a magical javelin attack on the statue). Mania shows the statues how it’s done by grasphing them in a great stone hand. Cleophe keeps intercepting blows (Iliana Grasping Hands it’s arm off with a Crit). Azelma acid splashes the one in Mania’s stone grasp to death, melting it’s head.

Mania walks to the spiral staircase and hears general signs of life downstairs. After a while, the broken statue starts moving again, but with a melted head it is blinded and deafened. Cleophe runs past it down the stairs. Thalestris outpaces her and as they all go running down the stairs she spots two amazons. She says hello and gets asked her business, replying that she only just returned. She got asked what she’s doing in the lady’s temple, “you should be back in the mainland, preparing for the war games”. They do not seem to trust her and ask her what’s she’s doing her. She explains she grew up on the mainland, they think that doesn’t make her much of an Amazon. The only amazons who leave are the ones who don’t belong there. (Phryné portents a good honour role). The nicer one says she has a little bit of a chance. This is the holiest site, the Queen is here, praying to the Gods. All the time, that is her role as Queen. She only comes out sometimes. The Princess is overseeing the War Games, Thalestris will have to join one of the camps. They want to know if she knows Amazon fighting styles at least. She asks how to join the camps, the nicer one says she can say she talked to Astarte. Thalestris asks to pray. She’s not allowed in the inner temple, no one is allowed there. Thalestris kneels down and casts Pass Without Trace. Little shadows start to grow out of where she kneels and prays. Mania casts Crown of Madness on the Angry Amazon, who goes into a rage and attacks the other amazon. Astarte spits at Thalestris and calls her a witch.

Azelma goes invisible and tries to crawl/sneak past them. The Crowned Amazon attacks Astarte and Thalestris ostentatiously cures herself and wildshapes into a panther. Iliana goes to sit down in the corner and sends Basil flying past to shocking grasp Astarte. The confused Amazon runs through the door and nearly trips over Azelma. She runs into the other room and starts opening cages to release Basilisks.

Cleophe summons Spirit Guardians and her dragon tattoos start to glow. She gets the basilisk in the face with her eyes closed with Phryné’s portent. Phryné blinds the healthier basilisk. Azelma sends her shadow down the stairs to scout. She sees tunnels, holes in the wall and a snakelike creature in a cave. It looks like there’s one creature with many heads, a hydra.  The holes in the wall are hydra-head sized. She also finds a door at the end of the corridor. (there’s 4 basilisks in the room)

The Amazon slashes at Thalestris until she turns back into a human.

And that’s all for this session of the Thylead!

@aporeticelenchus  @leomundstinyblog @m-siecle @pioup-pioup @guineamaina @somuchbetterthanthat

#thylead #session recap #dnd #odyssey of the dragonlords #mania's fun and flirty adventure #amazons! #and creepy sailor statues!

[badassindistress]

The Thylead (Session 24)

With brilliant fire the Hydra was slayed

The Queen once more holding the Titan’s Bane blade

With sweet songs and welcome we were paid

With such happiness, who could be afraid?

After a rest, with the Medusa securely in the cell, they go down to the forge. There’s half-finished bronze parts of birds, humans and in the corner there are dragon wings.

There’s a twelve foot tall cyclops with 10 fingers on every hand, chained to the floor. They announce themselves as friends. The chain might be locked, only the Queen or Princess have the key. It looks like adamantium. Azelma picks the lock.  His name is Brunt? And he’s too large to fit through the door. He came here about two months ago, blindfolded.

Fire Island is now ruled by King Jancar, he has the Storm God’s blessing. Queen Vica still rules her village, but not the Island, she is not the strongest now. He does still want to go back to fire island that is where he belongs. Iliana asks if he has hydra-bashing weapons, he says slashing and bashing is all the same, unless they use fire. He completed 4 working people robots. He made some swords, a lot of stimfays. They promise to send his friends down and ask him to wait a day. Mania gives him some of her old writing to read. The lizardfolk don’t want to fight a hydra.

The amazon mentioned an underwater entrance. The hydra can’t leave that way, there’s a gate you have to unlock.

They send Basil in and the Hydra immediately shoots towards him and snaps him up. Thalestris casts a Wall of Fire around the Hydra. Thalestris gives Iliana Heroism. The heads shoot out at Cleophe and Mania. It tries to leap into the pool and swim away. two of its 10 heads falls off. Azelma manages to firebolt it under the water. Thalestris conjures four sharks. Iliana sends fire down to the hydra, skipping round the sharks. Cleophe casts shield of faith on herself and clambers into the hydra’s pen. The spirit guardian sheep dives into the water. The sharks try to tear the sharks to shreds. The hydra kills three sharks and swims closer to the surface. Thalestris lets a fire sphere sinks into the water, Phryné foretells the Hydra will not be able to evade it. Phryné foretells that Iliana will hit it with lightning. Cleophe dives into the water and smites it until another head falls off. It’s thrashing and close to death, but manages to bite into Cleophe very badly. It scuttles out of the water to get away from the fire. Azelma fireballs it, all the heads are drooping. Iliana kills it with a scorching ray. Cleophe slashes at the stomach to free Titan’s Bane. It’s a long, rapierlike sword. Thalestris calls Daran in. Iliana and Mania harvest scales, vials of blood, teeth and some of the heart of the Hydra.

They take a rest as Thalestris asks Andromeda how many more followers the false Queen had. She doesn’t know. Phryné goes up to Thalestris to tell her that 1. She doesn’t know how she feels about Thalestris’ gods, but she thinks it’s very interesting. 2. Thank her for allowing Phryné to practice her religion with the bones in this temple. 3. She’s needs help looking for Hexia’s lair and thinks the amazons might help and needs Thalestris’ help to ask them.

Phryné gives Daran her veil to hide her identity. She ask Queen Daran if she can help with the Hexia thing. Andromeda has indeed spotted a green dragon a few times, she always seems to fly off to the Forgotten Sea when they tried to track her. They don’t really like to sail in the forgotten sea, there’s a massive whirlpool that can suck you into the underwold and it moves around. She’s always heading to the constellation of the dragon. Phryné thanks her. There’s also Sydon’s Phraxis tower in the forgotten sea, another reason not to get lost in the sea. There’s been a few more dragons in recent years, which is odd. There was also a metallic dragon on indigo island that was attacking, the amazons are in correspondence with people there. The green dragon is old. The bronze dragon on indigo island is new (an adult, but it might have come from somewhere else.) Indigo island is under the sign of the Queen. (Themis is under the twins). Phryne makes sure to say goodbye to Brunt. Thalestris puts on her vestments to look as much the High Priestess as possible.

Daran calms the marble golems long enough for them to go past. They take their little boat to head to the princess’ camp. There’s clusters of petrified woman, amazons who look like they were chasing something to the north. The statues look new. Thalestris There’s the sound of hoofbeats but deeper. A javelin launches into the tree behind them as they shout warnings. 4 amazons on riding rhinoceri and 2 basilisks approach. The amazon glares at Daran and tells her to surrender. Thalestris tells her this is the Queen of Themis. They throw a javelin at her. They seem to be trying to shield their eyes. Mania lifts Daran’s veil and looks her straight in the eyes, telling them she’s not the medusa. They don’t seem to trust her. Cleophe intercepts their attacks on Daran. Phryné shouts that this is their Queen and they can give any proof they see fit. The Amazons are listening. Thalestris says she can cast a spell that forces people into their true shape. Iliana polymorphs herself into a really big crab and Thalestris dispels it under the Amazons eyes. Iliana turns back into herself. Thalestris does the exact same thing to Daran. The amazons notice she’s not wearing the silver helmet. Daran says she has spoken the sacred words and that the gods and goddesses have recognised her claim. She raises Titan’s Bane. The Amazons say they’ll take them to the others then. They uncertainly welcome her back. Daran names the others her protectors. Azelma asks how they figured out they had a false princess.

Yesterday, the princess’ crown suddenly crumbled and she changed forms. She was able to escape. They go to the campaign and there’s a lot of explaining going around. Daran gives a halting speech and does a mini version of the ceremony in the temple. It impresses the Amazons. Daran says they’ve got the situation under control, they could leave. Leia the Amazon might have fled the island. The Amazons don’t like bending the knee to anyone outside, if she holds Titan’s Bane and controls the Queen she might. They ask if she will ally with the mainland when the Oath of Peace is over. She would consider making a treaty if it was with us. If your homeland is attacked, I will help if you will do the same for mine.

Mania asks for a favour. Any Amazon who calls Themis home should be allowed to come home, even if they aren’t known to them. As long as they are loyal to the Crown and Throne, they should be allowed to come home. Daran asks who she has in mind, but then retracts her question.  She says she would welcome her sisters home.

Thalestris really wants to stay and help. Azelma tells her she can come back again. Thalestris tries to explain it’s not safe yet. Phryné gives her a hug. Daran clasps a hand on Thelastris’ shoulder and tells her she’ll be protected. She doesn’t need to fear for her, and Daran will protect the Island. Daran asks her to keep in touch. Thalestris contacted her sister, who can contact Makaila and send her to the island. Daran says they could have a big coronation party where they’ll all be guests of honour.  Azelma says she/they deserve to be recognised and Daran earnestly agrees.

They get out the casks of wine and word is sent to the other amazon enclaves around the island. Mania finds a lot of cute amazons who fawn over her hydra and medusa fighting skills and who teach her drinking songs in a language she doesn’t know yet. It’s the best day she’s had since they met the oracle.

Iliana talks to Thalestris. She doesn’t want to leave again, especially not before it’s all over. They still don’t know what Iliana puts her head on her shoulder and tells her the Island will be ready for when she’s come back. They drink together. Phryné is getting drunk too. Mania’s new amazons friends are making up impromptu victory rhymes with their names.

Astarte says the false queen made a raid on fire island, the Jancan is a master smith who was going to make them weapons.

Thalestris is going to Daran and hand her a piece of wood she has carved some druidic symbols in. She told her she can ask her sister what this means. There’s a couple of drunk girls who are trying to get cleophe to flex so they can hang off her arms. Another group are making wide eyes at Azelma, wanting to see them do magic. She minor illusions a flying stimfay into the air to great aclaim.

  And that’s the end of this session of the Thylead…

@aporeticelenchus  @leomundstinyblog @m-siecle @pioup-pioup  @somuchbetterthanthat @abubblingcandle

#thylead #thylead recap #session recap #a talia original #mania's fun and flirty adventure #odyssey of the dragonlords #i love ending sessions with a party #i'm so proud of us for not getting killed by a cowardly hydra

[badassindistress]

We have just started our new Dnd campaign, Thylead: Odyssey of the Dragonlords. I'd like to introduce my new character Mania, carefree and careless nymph bard. She’s made of starlight, extremely charming and managed to avoid responsibilities for about 500 years. She’s also maybe a Chosen One, if the prophecy is right...

@aporeticelenchus​ @guineamaina​ @m-siecle​ @ratheralark​ @somuchbetterthanthat​ @pioup-pioup​

#mania's fun and flirty adventure #my turn to be the flirty bard #and also be very extra #since she's an epic bard #so it's time for poetry #thylead #thylead art #talia paints #well you know #talia draws #but my tag is about painting #mania does not overly care about other's free will and involuntarily charms people #this is an issue #it's hard not to automatically be kind #it's very fun to be flirty though #20 minutes in she was flirting with a goddess #a talia original

[badassindistress]

The Thylead (Session 13)

Let prophecies and games not cloud our minds

I will oft repeat it, lest we forget

No matter who is to tempest inclined

We agree human sacrifice is bad

Volkan and Kallistrate fix Deianeira up so that she can shed light. The leave the axe and shield with him, but Phryne wears the breastplate. Mania buys some fine scissors and Cleophe some potion ingredients. Kyrah accompanies them to Mytros and they pick up Karina and her satyr friend Loreus because she wants to participate in the Games.

On the road they run into a group of bandits lying in wait, one of them is a cyclops. Kallis spots them early enough they can all sneak around them. They sleep on the road just before the storms on the horizon. The city is being buffeted by storms rainds and heavy winds. When they come in they see a massive red eye scanning the horizon, looking straight at them. Azelma tries to make herself more impressive but it’s hard in the torrential rain. Azelma gives Karina directions and agree to meet Kyrah later. She thinks Acastus is a stick in the mud so it’s better to meet him without her.

They get escorted to the palace and find the king on his throne, his advisors one level below him, a tiefling a regal woman and a finely dressed young woman. He welcomes as the heroes of the heartlands but also tries to make chosen ones believe that the people of Mytros blame them and the prophecy for Sydon’s tempest tantrum. His advisors have varied ideas:

Bella, the pretty woman, advises a very good sacrifice.

Chaundrus, the tiefling priest of Lutheria advises that the only way to get on Sydon’s good side is through the Lady of Dreams and she wants new worshippers, new acolytes.

Vallus, the regal woman, proposes the party have dinner with her later because her family might be able to work a miracle.

Azelma brings up Estoria’s sacrifice, no one seems to want a human sacrifice but they don’t completely and vehemently rule it out either. Kallis brings up the harp plan but Acastus doesn’t seem impressed by the fact that they still have to steal it from the wind. The Great Games are delayed. They agree to consider the situation and meet again later. On the way out they get stopped by an Amazon, who’s very surprised to see Kallis. Iliana asks Kallis if she wants to be invisible but it’s a little too late for that. The Amazon is named Makaila and she’s Lady Vallus’ steward. She tells them Vallus want to see them so they follow. Vallus wanted to talk without the advisors present. Gaius lives at Sydon’s temple and has the ear of the king. Azelma asks if she does not also have sway with the king. Vallus says her marriage was a political marriage. The Five Gods minus Mytros could work a miracle to calm the storms, but it would weaken them for a time, they couldn’t do it again soon and would leave them less powerful and more easily drained. But the powers of the 4 combined are moe than sydon’s they could dispatch the storms. The harp could do the same, played once a day it disperses storms. Boreas is as likely to destroy something as to let it go.  Vallus says the city could withstand the storm for ten days more possibly, but the people are restless. Azelma knows the unrest has been building for years. Lutheria is quite popular here for the free wine and bbq they hand out. The thieves guild has changed its activities too, it’s very effective as if it’s under new leadership. Enemies of the guilds end up paralysed, just like people guilty of minotaur enslavement.

Iliana asks about ghostboars and Vallus says they can go incorporeal, connected to the ethereal plane and are led by elders. Ghostboars can be a conduit between plains, there’s stories of people dying in the woods and then boars talking in dead people’s voices. They agree to go out and hunt for one.

Kallis catches Makaila’s eye after the meeting. Makaila tells her she should dye her hair and tells her that the whole getup is nice but she obviously doesn’t know much about amazons because there are no redhead amazons anymore. Kallis asks about the state of the island. Makaila deems Kallis honourable enough to tell her that she’s not been on Themis for 10 years because of politics. Kallis apologises for prying, but Makaila says that Lady Vallus trust in them is enough to make her believe they’re something at least and wishes them good luck. Kallis says she won’t ask her to trust them until they’ve given her something to trust, which pleases Makaila. She asks Kallis what she knows of Themis, Kallis says she’s not been there in a long time either. She asks if the name Moxanna/Moxandra?? means anything to Kallis, it doesn’t. They agree to speak later.

The party find Kyrah at the bathhouse telling stories. She tells them the Kolossus is a mechanical robot, that two kollosi fought a Kraken once, but the other got destroyed. The thieves guild may hide out there now. 50 years ago the group that used it as a hideout all got poisoned.

They go on a boar-hunt. Kallis finds the boar-tracks pretty fast and spots a group of boars early enough they can get Iliana safely in a tree and get into position.  Kyrah immediately fries one of the big ones with lightning. Kallis is a bit shook and drops her chakram. Iliana casts Haste on Cleophe. 3 more boars appear and Phryne gets gored by the huge one badly enough she has to be healed and hide behind Kallis. Kyrah takes another out with throwing daggers. Azelma throws a beautiful fireball and gets charged by the big one, knocking her unconscious where not even Strength of the Grave can help her. Phryne gets her on her feet again and Kyrah takes out a small boar while Kallis kills the big boar. Cleophe kills the last one in three hastened blows. With Kyrah’s bardic help Kallis gets a nice good section of skin and 2 tusks which she gives to Cleophe. Iliana cleans the skin and Kyrah gives Mania an unbelievably amazing haircut. Kyrah disappears with the hair and the skin carefully tucked away and says Volkan will probably send a drone with the finished harp.

Iliana praised Kallis for her ghost-tracking skills which she believes she has. She then asks Azelma to get her gang of thieves urchins on finding the thieves’ guilt. Azelma confesses she has no gang or people whatsoever.

They go to the harbour and the Kolossus. Kallis finds both the service entrance in one leg and a secret entrance in another. She pops into the secret entrance and asks the guard the lady of coins wants to speak to her because she’s Thesilea’s daughter. The guard says he’ll send a message if she gets out.

Iliana finds a magical inscription she can’t make out in the other door. Azelma speaks to Cleophe about where she used to live in the noble’s district. In her head, Kallis hears a message that’s there too many of them. Phryne goes to sit and stare at the sea alone, Mania and Iliana go rediscover their old stomping grounds at the Academy and Azelma spots people in hoods and goes to find some thief friends.

Cleophe and Kallis get told the lady will have an audience with them and their weapons get taken and they’re escorted to the head. The engineering is familiar to Kallis, it’s like Amazonian engineering. Upstairs there is a woman in a cloak that covers her face with snakes writhing. She asks what Thesilea’s daughter wants. The Lady of Coins was an Amazon and thinks Kallis is posing as a daughter of the later Queen to summon an army. Kallis assures her she wants nothing of the sort and the Lady deems her honourable enough that that is perhaps the truths. 13 years ago there was a coup the lady and her sisters took control and the regent’s daughter got detained in prison. They swore an oath, which has become inconvenient. They thought they could take the power and they were right but it ended poorly. Her sister is ruling the island. The lady’s heart wasn’t really in it, but she intends to kill her sister one of these days. She’s hoping Daren, the regent’s daughter, is still alive, she decidedly does not want to be Queen herself. Makaila was a supporter of the old regent so her execution was ordered which is basically the same as exile.

The lady thinks Kallis and Cleophe were sent by someone, possible the nobles to deal with her and they can’t fully convince her otherwise, she’s heard interesting rumours about them all. She tells Kallis that the whole monarchy angle makes for a good story and that this might be a good moment to convince people the Queens are back. Kallis explains she entirely agrees tis the last thing anyone needs right now, she doesn’t know how to prove what she is but she’s not pretending to be anyone she’s not. The lady agrees she does have the bearing of an Amazon and all the out of date details. Kallis says it’s all the better if people in this city don’t believe who she is and they agree to speak again.

In the Academy, Iliana and Mania hit the library. Iliana looks at Arkelander biographies, finds mostly Telemok and some Estor. There’s stories of Ultros sightings, the image of ghosts fighting each other, almost all happened near the Dead Falls, but no clearer pattern. It’s not quite enough information to find it. There’s also a story about Estor and Arkania which claims it ends in a breaking of the oath. Mania looks through religious texts and can’t find anything about Narsus, she’d need more time. But she does find reference to a sungod that’s strange. There’s not much info. She does find some good General Kallistrate stories.

Azelma goes to the Angora and recognises a pickpocket, Laios, who’s had bad business lately and keeps on being denied a guild membership. She asks after Cleophe’s neigbourhood, but he doesn’t believe no one remembers because in this city everything gets remembered by someone. Azelma gives him a gold to keep on ear out for curses that stop remembering. He’s impressed and thinks she pulled a big heist in Estoria. Azelma asks him about the new heroes and he says it’s a nice story but it doesn’t seem like it’s ging anywhere. He likes the Lutheria temple for the free food, but there’s weird chanting from the basement and the two priest are creepy. He thinks Gaius is cool. The agree to meet up again in a few days.

And that’s all for this session of the Thylead!

 @aporeticelenchus  @leomundstinyblog @m-siecle @pioup-pioup  @guineamaina @somuchbetterthanthat

#thylead #sesssion recap #dnd #odyssey of the dragonlords #today's poem comes not from mania but from me #i don't trust acastus and his advisors #mania's fun and flirty adventure #have i mentioned i love kyrah because is do #cw human sacrifice

[badassindistress]

The Thylead Session 16

Kallista’s tree recovered, haunted still

Kallistrate gone to duties unknown

Brave feats we performed at Vallus’ will

Yet the praise fell for the one on the throne

In the morning, there’s an opening in the cavern, letting through sunshine. Kallis yells at Estor to come sail the boat and suddenly she goes rigid and starts walking towards the stern and navigates their way to the opening expertly. Cleophē calls up a gust of wind to get them moving. Then Cleophē Levitates the sail to lighten the ship so they can go a little faster. They go towards Mytros, they don’t see any storms on the horizon. People cluster around the harbour, a massive silver dragon swoops through the sky and King Acastus swoops through the sky, magical harp in hand. Everyone follows him. One person is left behind, waving excitedly at them. Mid-twenties, looks like she spent every single second out in the sun, golden brown hair, golden brown skin, wearing trousers, amazon-like haircut. She’s a druid and she has a letter for Kallistrate.

They dock the boat and Kallis gets a moment of control back. She confers with the druid Thalestris for a moment, accepts the letter and tells the others she needs to see Moxena and leave for a while. She made some promises she has to keep. She leaves.

They agree to go see Vallus and Kyrah and the king. Iliana notices Thalestris tagging along and remarks on the high numbers of Amazons around here. Thalestris has been in the Old Woods for 13 years, after the rebellion. Makaila sent her to come back to the docks.

Azelma asks her if she was part of the rebellion. The rebellion was the reason she´s been in the Old Woods for 13 years. She tags along to the palace, Iliana warns her they´re gonna argue with the King. Acastus dragon seems to be adult dragon size, they take about a century to mature. It doesn’t show up on Divine Senses, so probably not undead. Cleophē hasn’t seen this dragon before, it’s definitely not a baby but it moves a bit childish, could be a teen. Mania doesn’t see something instantly magical, but takes private notes to consider it later. Vallus is not on the dragon like Acastus is while speaking to the crowd. He hails them as friends, harp in hand. Mania mentions her harp and the sacrifice of her hair to the crowd and he says he used it only to not prolong his city’s suffering. Mania praises his and Vallus’ leadership and asks her harp back. The moment she gets it,l it glows with her, Iliana providing dramatic wind effects. Acastus invites them to be his personal guests at the Great Games, the trials of which will be starting today now the storms have stopped.

They lag behind the crowd to speak to Vallus privately. She apologises that General Kallistrate’s skills are urgently needed elsewhere and asks them to allow Thelastris to join them. If she’s any trouble they are to let Makaila know. Thelastris is an apprentice of the old druidic tradition of Themis, it is important not to lose them. They agree to try and not let her die. Vallus knew Thelastris’ mentor and vouches for her at least, she was a woman of great wisdom.

Vallus gives Iliana an amulet inherently attuned to her (Const+2 and crit hits while unconscious only count as 1 fail) Volkan sent it with the hope that it will keep Iliana from dying. Phrynè asks Vallus about Azelma’s rapid aging. Vallus sees it’s not good magic and being hit with a similar curse might make the effects worse. Vallus can fix it, so Azelma let’s her because it will make her friends worry less. Azelma starts glowing and shrinks a few cm again.

Mania tries to convince Vallus to ditch her husband, she deserves better than how people treat her. Vallus says she “has goals and is pursuing them”. Thelastris finds it all very awkward, Azelma assures her it’s fine and just Mania’s normal flirting. Vallus tells her Mania doesn’t have to worry about being liked, that she’s heard new songs and more positive rumours being spread in the city. It helps to have friends in the Bard College.

The Great Games are comprised of 6 events and a relay race. First place in the events gets 1000gp, 2nd place 500, 3rd 250gp, the relay race gets 6 times that. The games allow for one partner to cast helpful magic on the participant, but not on the other competitors. They decide to try and win the relay race, but they need at least one person to place in the events, preferably more.  They divide the events along their strengths: Discus (Thalestris), Long Jump (Cleophē with Mania's help with the jump spell), Distance Run (Azelma with Illiana's haste), Boxing (Mania with Kentimane’s hands subject to approval), Wrestling (Cleophē), Javelin (Cleophē). Phrynè will magically aid them.

They go to register themselves and their magical weapons. Iliana recognises the arbiter, a Divination Wizard with magic sensing spectacles. They’re asked for a name for their team and when no one pipes up with an answer, Cleophē asks Mania for a name. She names them Thylea’s Beloveds (Or perhaps Thylea’s Beloved’s) which they can choose to change later. Mania registers her staff. The wizard is surprised by it, it’s clouded from his sight. She explains what it does and it is accepted. He speaks of an Aresian fellow who needs to be taught a lesson in the boxing ring, Mania mostly cares if he’s handsome.

King Acastus jovially says there’s no need for them to prove themselves in the first trials so they have some free time. They decide to go to the Satyr’s Tail Tavern where they find a request to slay some chimera’s and manticores. Thelastris finds the first tracks and immediately heads off, leaving the rest scrambling to follow. She tracks a trail of destruction down to a cave. They have time to lay a trap, so Thelastris casts Spike Growth on the cave mouth. Manticores are monstrosity with wings, spikey tails and human faces. Iliana makes a noise ring out to draw them out and manticores fly out, the first two getting caught in the spikes. The other 3 take to the air and fling spikes into Cleophē and Mania’s chest. Phrynè takes out her crossbow and shoots one straight into the face. Thelastris gets whailed on. Iliana burns one manticore to a crisp with a beautiful chromatic orb. Thelastris wildshapes into a black bear and rakes a manticore in the face. It hits her back until she’s human again. To make up for it she calls down a Moonbeam while Cleophē kills another manticore. Thelastris gets another one with shillelagh and as it dies it burst into flames, Blessing all her companions as she sacrifices it to the Old Gods. Cleophē kills the last manticore in a single blow and the fight is over.

While they’re still blessed they decide to stay and see if the fight alerted the chimeras they’re looking for. Mania remembers Kallis talking about how she’d kill chimeras, so she can give them the basics of three-headed fire-breathing lion-goat-dragon killing. Not long after, 2 figures appear in the air. Cleophē gets hit with bad enough to knock her unconscious, especially with her trying to block Phrynè from the worst of it too. Her relentless endurance is the only thing keeping her standing.

Thelastris conjures 4 black bears to distract the chimeras, Azelma gets one with an excellent ray of sickness. Cleophē gets them with the lightning javelin with Mania’s bardic help, Iliana’s chromatic orb kills it as it swoops down on Iliana. The last chimera takes out two bears, Mania runs up and kills it with the staff.

Mania and Iliana work together to get trophy’s and the best potion ingredients from the slain beasts. Chimera loot: horns and hooves from goat, claws from lion, mostly intact voice box of dragon from first, for the second chimera: horn, hooves from goat, lion claws. From the manticores they get 2 small pouches of teeth, one tail with spike attached that could make a whip, one damaged tail and one cut of the wings that could make a very cool cloak.

And that’s all for this session of the Thylead!

 @aporeticelenchus @leomundstinyblog @m-siecle @pioup-pioup  @guineamaina @somuchbetterthanthat

#thylead #session recap #dnd #odyssey of the dragonlords #welcome to thelastris #a talia original #i really don't like acastus can you tell #he doesn't deserve that harp and he doesn't deserve vallus #looking forward to reliving all my sportsday trauma with the Not!Olympics

[badassindistress]

Thylead Session 15

Ode to the Faithful:

The patient silver moon looks down each night

Searching for those daylight hid from her eyes

Love enduring even when hidden from sight

Only your virtue reaches higher highs

 It is your faithfulness that I admire

Your moral strength, deeper than I can tell

Your enviable might and religious fire

And your biceps please the eye as well ;)

At the end of breakfast, Cleophe tells Vallus that they found a dragonegg in Balmytria’s tomb and that the tomb was empty. Vallus says that they never recovered Balmytria’s body, she was lost in battle. She’s concerned what might be doen tother fody if- and she cuts herself of, wha’t sdone is done. Vallus asks if the egg is alive, Cleophe says her pseudodragon used her magic to revive it. Vallus looks confused and says with a faint sens of awe that her mother clearly watches over Cleophe, she is grateful for her blessing. Thanks her for confiding in her, if she’s willing to let her look at it she can add her wisdom. Mania catches Cleophé at the door, says that she listened to Cleophe last night and that it is unfair she only sings about Kallis. She gives Cleophe a poem inspired by Kyrah’s style and dances off.

Kallis finds Makaila and assures her in the cold light of day that she meant everything she said yesterday. The offer‘s open to fight a ghost boat (sadly they forgot to actually pick her up). On the way out, Kallis pulls Mania aside to ask if she’s mad at her. Mania explains that her songs aren’t all about Kallis, but also the past lovers she left behind. Kallis says she doesn’t need a reminder she left everyone. Mania tells Kallis that it’s okay if she has to leave to be Queen of the Amazon’s, that that’s different than being stuck in a damp cave somewhere where Mania wouldn’t be allowed to love her.

Phryné and Iliana go to the Academy to get help turning the monster parts into potions. Professor Alcmene is willing to help them, but she does expect Iliana to do the heavy lifting for this to count as independent study. Next time she wants to miss class she ought to ask the Oracle for a note. Phryné suggests taking some homework for the road. Alcmene sets up the process for the skull and basilisk eyeballs. Iliana shows her the inkbottle ooze, the Professor says it has an aggressive personality but that she could renew the enchantment to turn it into a library guardian or assistant. She starts that process too. Iliana gets reminded that if she sees 2 of her peers she has to remind them to turn in an assignment on paradoxes Iliana tries to get out of it with the prophecy, but no luck. Phryné  asks if Iliana behaves well in class. Alcmene kindly does not sell Iliana out to her sister and says Iliana has always been a very talented girl. The silent implication is that Iliana will do her assignments in record time. Phryné is incredibly proud and happy of her sister.

Kallis and Mania stroll around the bard campus sharing stories of Mania’s student days until they find a young man with a lyre. Parius is very surprised to see Mania, she tells him she’s been travelling with the Chosen Ones and makes him tell her the rumours about them. The story is they’ve angered Sydon, Mania turns it into Versi angering Sydon. Parius sings a song about Versi in the First War, the daughter of Sydon who turned to protect mortals. Mania says they’re going to soothe the storms and warns him to prepare for a party. She proposes a contest for all bards, the person who writes the most beautiful and full of praise song for the 5 Gods and Chosen Ones and their victory and sacrifice will get to try Mania’s Harp First. He promises to tell all their friends about it. Mania gives him notes on what he should share as Kallis edges away as her praises are bandied about. Mania also cheerfully includes the titbit that the rumoured ghost who haunted the Hall of the Dragonlords is part of the Chosen Ones.

Azelma tells Cleophe not to be mad, but she asked an acquaintance what happened to her family.  She asks Cleophe to look dangerous and imposing and settle in to wait for Laos. When he sidles over he tells them nobody has lived in that house for centuries and that it’s haunted. There’s bits of singing and if you go inside you lose track of time and forget who you are. He gives them a pewter necklace with a dragon figurine that Cleophē recognises as a piece of costume jewellery from one of her sisters.

There’s a little vial inside. Azelma gives him a coin, Laos wheedles until Cleophe gives him a gold. Cleophe thanks Azelma, who awkwardly says she wanted to do something nice. They go and see the house. Azelma boasts of stealing from the noble district, Cleophe is uncomfortable because those are her neighbours. The house seems eerily preserved in time, it feels like something in the house is trying to push them back, but they can enter. Azelma hears fragments of conversation, sees shimmering light, oilslick and with unsettling haze like they saw on resurrected Iliana. Clearly some kind of magic. They hear the voices of the same people at different ages, there’s something weird here with time. Azelma proposes Cleophe’s family never left the house, that they are trapped here. Cleophe recognises the voices as some of her family. Azelma’s bracelet and Cleophe’s gauntlet start to rust before their eyes. Azelma finds a portrait in the hall where none of the faces can be made out. The ground around her is going cold, warmth seeping out of her.  Cleophe sees one of her sisters, Cleoné at 5 years old, standing in front of her for a second. She gives a dazzling smile and hugs Cleophe’s knees before she fades (advantage against next roll of being frightened).

Back assembled at the Palace, Mania announces she has no revenge quest against Estor she just let her emotions run away with her since trees are very important to her. Iliana brings up the rumour that Mania once seduced a tree, Mania is offended, that she would need to seduce trees. She explains that Andromache the drysad was the nymph who found her when she was born and her and Thylea were the first people she loved.

They set off in search of the boat. At the path along the river Lethe the cliffs are actively moving closer together. Mania uses Kentimane’s Stone Hands to push the walls away from each other to give them a little more time. What comes out are not the normal earthen hands, this is a pair of the massive column like hands that litter the countryside. Cleophe and Iliana run through easily but Azelma falters. Kallis reaches the end but goes back to help Azelma out. They start to get banged up. It takes her longer, but Mania runs through with no trouble, Phryne gets pulled along by Basil and Azelma and Kallis make it out together. Mania prays to Kentimane and Thylea to thank them for saving them, but it doesn’t calm her (nat 1)

They find a massive waterfall that makes no noise. Deianeira finds them the path on the map, it seems flooded but she does spot a ship. They wade through the water and suddenly Mania gets polymorphed into an owl, still glowing. Iliana thinks there’s just something weird about eh water, not a spellcaster. Mania starts happily circling around above them. It’s probably temporary. They come to a small lake with still water and a ship with black sails and the prow in dragonform. Kallis recognises the Ultros.

The newly formed flying squad goes in very unstealthily. Mania feels a chill in the air and hears whispers and singing. Something cold brushes against her, a spectral hand trying to grab her but unable to catch hold. Kallis wades to the sip when they do not come back. Azelma follows her but start to turn into water, Cleophe tries to carry her out but she starts to dissolve in her arms. Cleophe Levitates her above the water and not a drop spills. Afrer a minute or so she starts to reform with no damage done. Cleophe tells Kallis to go first, towards the raucous singing on the deck. The figure at the deck raises up a hand and flies at Kallis and Kallis gets possessed. She returns to “her post”. Mania flies down to sit on her shoulder and screech in her ear, Kallis immediately beats her off with her chakram. Mania falls to the deck a nymph again. Kallis starts singing some bawdy off-key songs. Iliana shouts you can’t just posses people, they came here for a conversation so the ghost better get out and talk. Kallis still has all her senses, she’s just not in control of her body. She tries to talk to the pilot in her mind, this was a dwarf man named Davos. Davos does not listen to her request to get the fuck out of her head. Mania tries to tell him Kallis was meant to fly a dragon, not a ship, but fails to get through to him. Kallis starts to tap her foot to the singing. A dragon ghost flies over the boat, starts to breathe out a line of cold. Mania falls to the floor unconscious for the first time. Cleophe lays on hands but she is still frightened. The dragon alights next to Estor Arkelander’s ghost. Kallis asks to talk to him and fights her way free. There is a ghost battle going on. Kallis yells to Mania she’s really sorry and they’ll talk about that later and runs to stand beside Estor Arkelander. The other ghosts attack her, but she deflects with her bracer. She still feels some of the life drain out of her. She recognises Estor’s three trusted lieutenants turning against him. Estor recognises Kallis and asks if she’s finally come to haunt him. Kallis replies she just loves to see him get his ass kicked. He smiles and tell her she’ll be disappointed. He asks if she’s come to help him be overthrown, she says she decided to stand with him this time. He says it’s a bit late for that.

The fight is between the ghosts of the three lieutenants, Metron, Scathos and Davon, and the crew versus Estor, the dragon and now Kallis. Kallis and Estor banter as they take down a spectre of a crewman together. Phryné calls on an aura of life to heal her friends and Azelma runs in to hurl fireballs at ghosts, but they don’t hurt them like they hurt the living. Ghost attack Kallis and she shouts at Estor not to laugh as she sways on her feet, barely standing. Cleophe throws her lightning javelin through three ghosts and the dragon strikes at the dragons around her. The ghost blows a horn and 2 more spectres appear on deck. Kallis tells Estor this must have been such an annoying day to relive as Scathos tries to strangle him. Davos pulls off the skin on his face, scaring 10 years off Azelma’s life. She’s 29 now, only slightly taller and with longer hair and a knee that creaks sometimes.

Iliana yells at them to stop the fighting or she’ll crash the boat, but she didn’t speak loud enough and nobody hears her. Estor gives Kallis 10hp with a touch, tells her this is a very strange day and kills another spectre.

Phryné takes her handcarved wooden symbol and closes her eyes, frighteningly furious. She feels as if there’s a comforting hand on her shoulder and power washes through her. The ghost and spectres flee from her in fear. Only one lieutenant and a spectre remains, the others hurl themselves off the boat to get away from her. Even the Dragon fears her, but since they seem to be on the same side Cleophe hits it to knock the fear out of it, yelling why she does it. Estor succeeds, but Kallis makes fun of him being afraid of the cleric anyway. The last spectre tries to steal Cleophe’s lifeforce but estor chokes the life out of it and throw it overboard. Scathos gets killed by Phryne’s crossbow and Azelma’s fireball sailing through Estor and Estor finally ripping him apart. The dragon fades back into the figurehead of the ship.

Estor turns to Kallis and asks her what brings her to his ship. Kallis says they need to borrow it. Estor expected that, should General Kallistate come back, he would have expected the reason to e be vengeance. Kallis asks how he would like to come to sea with them. She explains that they are sailing to finish what the dragonlords started and they need the only ship capable of that. Estor calls that a touch ironic but he won’t explain why, only saying that perhaps she made the good choice and he can’t stand for his. Mania can’t help but call Estor a dryadkiller, he asks if her hands are clean. She says they are. Gregor Hoarath stashed the last treasure of the Dragonlords somewhere and the Nethersea is the only place he hasn’t looked yet. Estor asks if she’s just going to do it again, back to Phraxis, back to getting their asses kicked. He asks who will captain the ship. Mania won’t let Kallis says she’ll captain the ship, afraid that might transfer Estor’s curse to Kallis. Estor wants to feel the seabreeze again, will let them use his ship and he’ll captain it if they’ll find his sword and drive it through Lutheria’s black heart. He promises not to turn on them in the middle of the Ocean.

The crew comes back every night, they’ll need rituals to cleans the ship and a human crew. In sunlight it would be harder for them to appear, they only come at night. The cavern closes him in, but they might sail out. He shakes on it with Kallis. Estor says that at least this is more interesting than what he’s been doing. He sarcastically tells her he can’t wait to see her tomorrow night. He fades into the ship.

Mania goes to the mast and recognises it as dryad’s wood. The figurehead is the same. She sleeps cuddled up against the mast.

Cleophe shows the pendant vial to Iliana who sees it’s a potion of Cat’s Grace (10 minutes advantage on dex checks and less falling danger)

Azelma looks into the mirror, she looks less like a creepy doll. Phryne tells her she looks different. Azelma tells her she is different and also her knees hurt, but she thinks 29 suits her. Phryné is concerned about lived experience and looking older and whether they might reverse this aging. Azelma says she appreciates her worry but she doesn’t think a few more wrinkles will change her life. Cleophe says she lost 10 years of her life, but Azelma does not seem bothered. Cleophe thinks remove curse of greater restoration and possibly dispel magic could reverse this. Phryné could solve is the next day, but Azelma doesn’t want to  so they argue about lifespans of mortals and elves. Phryné is very concerned.

And that’s all for this session of the Thylead!

 @aporeticelenchus @leomundstinyblog @m-siecle @pioup-pioup  @guineamaina @somuchbetterthanthat

#thylead #thylead recap #odyssey of the dragonlords #a talia original #dnd #session recap #weird and wild magic this time #still wondering if mania could write a verse about her own unconsciousness #also v pleased with the whole changed into a bird thing #very fae and fairytale #you struck me with iron now i must go #also the aging couldn't have happened to a more grateful person #dnd lifespan disparities give me headaches #this session was so fun #including some irreverent poetry for cleophe

[badassindistress]

Last week in Thylea, a recap recap (12)

I have left my notes from last week in the wrong house, so this week there’s a recap of the recap (and the amazing notes from @m-siecle) until I can get at my notebook again:

Last week in Thylea – Kallis walks out of the fake tomb straight into another skeletal minotaur, Mania shuts a door on some skeletons, Cleophe charges in and Iliana impulsively pulls a lever. After they kill all of them, Kallis notices something isn’t right at the end of the far too narrow corridor and thus makes sure she is the only one caught in between the spiked walls moving in. Azelma and Phryne run to get back to the lever but Azelma outpaces Phryné significantly. Azelma pulls the lever and the walls stop moving. Sadly ghouls appear to attack Phryné alone in the corridor and a real Minotaur appears in front of Iliana. Iliana makes it laugh, Cleophe goes down taking all its hits, Kallis finds Xander’s tomb and he gets up to help them. He makes the Minotaur drop his weapons and shield so Mania can bonk him to death. He gives his axe to Kallis and his breastplate to Cleophe.

Phryne has a very contained breakdown in front of boring Ochos Arkelander’s tomb, Kallis leaves her mithral sword in Estor’s tomb and they look at some more tombs. On the way back a messenger from Mytros on a bronze dragon tells them King Acastus wants to consult with them. They spend the night in Estoria, Azelma learns a new spell from her grandmother and Azelma and Phryne talk about trust.

The next morning, Kallis has a horse and a conversation about her past and future with Mania. They achieve some actual communication about their feelings. They all go to see Volkan, Iliana gives some blood for her amulet, they ask for Xander’s arms to be repaired and learn that Volkan made Kyrah instruments that control the weather. Mania’s hair could string a harp like that.

Mania and Kallis go to see Aesop to get the cursemark on Mania’s arm removed and hear something about weird noises in the Colossus. The rest ask Kyrah where her instruments are and learn she lost them to her religious band with the Winds.

And that’s all for this extremely abbreviated session of the Thylead!

 @aporeticelenchus @leomundstinyblog @m-siecle @pioup-pioup  @guineamaina @somuchbetterthanthat

#by now my recaps are so long they merit a recap's recap #since i now keep them for posterity #but martas were so good and i love reading them #i'll do the full recap next week #thylea #thylead #dnd #session recap

[badassindistress]

The Thylead - Session 5

Kallistrate took a Princesses’ place

Sacrificed herself before Gaius’ eyes

Harpies swooped down after a last embrace

She fought bravely, our aid came in disguise

Cleophe protected her from their harm

I ensnared one in my enthralling song

Azelma and Cleophe felt their charm

But with the aulos’ wailing, not for long.

 On the bank of the river, Kallistrate and Iliana harvest parts from the basilisk, getting teeth, 2 eyes without petrifying effect and one vial of bile. Azelma goes to tell the guards to go to Pythor to start the sacrifice but follows them just in case. Cleophe follows her after a bit and finds Azelma mildly insulting the king and explains they killed the basilisks. Anora explains that she’s allowed to defend herself but that no one is allowed to help them. The harpies are there to make sure the contract is kept.

The rest weighs down the basilisk bodies with rocks to hide them out of sight. A group of soldiers and centaurs approach, including a man on a silver dragon. The procession is led by Septimus, the centurion of Commander Gaius who is on the dragon looking down curiously. Kallistrate spots that he has Amazonian tattoos. Gaius recognises them as the Chosen Ones. Mania starts flirting with him to keep his attention away from Iliana who hid herself quickly. Gaius is engaged to his dragon Argon(?). When Kallis remarks on his tattoos, Mania accuses her of flirting with Gaius when Kallis just told her not to do that exact same thing. It’s a pretty good distraction. With Gaius watching, they feel less comfortable they’ll be able to keep Anora alive. Even if the sacrifice is in the dark, Azelma knows that dragonlords could share their riders darkvision.

Phryné wants to sacrifice herself in place of her sister, Iliana maintains that with mage armour she herself would be be best protected. Cleophe says she’s strongest, Azelma makes a bid with saying she’ll call Darkness only her eyes can see through. Kallistrate  thinks the sacrifice should be her because she is hardier and won’t be able to subtly help from the shore. Azelma immediately agrees, Mania vehemently disagrees and in the end Cleophe, Azelma and Kallistrate draw lots. Kallistrate draws the short straw. She uses her Charm of Heroism.

Kallistrate goes to Gaius and tells him that the people here can’t spare the oxen and to take her instead. Gaius accepts. Kallistrate asks him if she survives will he tell her how he got those tattoos and gets a flat denial. Kallistrate says “I assume we understand this will sate Sydon’s lust for blood”. Gaius looks unconvinced, offers her the option to leave her weapons at the shore, so Phryné tries to help her. Gaius tells her she’s not the one He’s most interested in and when Azelma steps up he says that “the lady is interested in her at least”. Azelma replies that she should be, because they are more than the gods, more than the princess, they are going to be more powerful than any of them. Kallistrate who already won a battle against him should be more than enough. Kallistrate identifies herself as Kallistrate of Themis, but when Gaius asks if she’s a descendant she just says it’s a long story. In the end he agrees. Kallistrate says he does Sydon honour, that in her time he’d prefer a sacrifice who fights back. Gaius reluctantly agrees. It will be sunset soon. Kallistrate strips off her armour while Iliana surreptitiously casts Mage Armour on her and Gaius chains her to the rock. Mania follows, Gaius asks if she wants to be sacrificed too and says it’s a pity when Mania denies it. He leaves them alone on the rock but keeps an eye on them.

Mania asks Kallistrate if she’s trying to die. Kallis knows that getting fullnamed knows Mania is cross with her. She tells Mania that she doesn’t think she’s going to die, but she won’t promise because she does not want to break another promise to Mania. Mania says she’s not going to wait for another 500 years for her, so she’d better come back and leaves her with an inspiring kiss on the cheek.

When the sun has set, three harpies appear, circling the rock. Kallistrate lets out an Amazonian warcry and the harpies swoop down on her. Kallistrate beats them back. Mania and Phryne both try to harm the harpies with magic but fail. Iliana prepares to set a bush on fire to distract Gaius and his fiancé. Azelma tries to lure them away with their love for song, singing with a magical echo but the harpies ignore her and slash at Kallistrate. Cleophe had stashed her dragon familiar in Kallistrate’s pocket and through it she casts protection from Evil and Good. Kallistrate uses the inspiration from Mania’s kiss to hit the harpy with an Ensnaring Strike.

Mania walks to the shore and starts singing a mournful lovesong, giving Kallistrate bardic and enthralling the harpy. It sings back to her and tries to ensnare her in turn, but Mania’s song is stronger. Phryné pretends to console Mania to hide her magic. Kallistrate kills a harpy in two blows with Mania’s bardic help. Azelma helps Mania keep the harpy’s attention, making her its next target. She’s enthralled and immediately drawn towards the harpy. Cleophe picks her up so she can’t walk into the water.

Iliana starts shouting at the bird, also catching Gaius’ attention, but Deianeira was shielding her from his view. She tries to harm it magically but it fails so Gaius sees no interference. Azelma struggles against Cleophe’s hold but also shakes off the effect. The harpy fails spectactularly to harm Kallis, rebuffed by Cleophe’s protection. Next it Charms Cleophe, who walks into the water. Phryné plays her aulos directly into Cleophe’s ear, drowning out the harpy songs.  Kallistrate throws her chakram at the harpy enthralling Cleophe, Mania tries to Command the harpy to be silent but it ignores her.

The harpy claws at Kallis and tries to fly away, she hits it as it flees. Mania Commands it to grovel in her song and it falls down. Kallis tries to hit the last one but throws her chakram in the water and even Deianeira can’t find it. Her second blow kills it in one strike. They silently wait for sunrise.

Night passes and when the sun comes up Gaius unchains Kallis. He calls her General Kallistrate and says he’s disappointed, he had hoped to see her in a proper fight. They agree that day will not be far off. She hasn’t earned the tattoo story yet, but he hands her a needle and tells her she should take better care off her stuff. He takes off into the sky.

Kallistrate gets parts from the harpy, gets feathers for quills and a vocal chord that could be used for a harp. Azelma tells her she doesn’t know why they even hesitated at all, Kallistrate is so strong. They walk back to the city.

Kallis asks if she can get her armour back. Mania says only if she’s not going to fight something stupid again. Mania says she hated being on shore, unable to help. Kallis says she helped plenty, she saved her life. Mania replies she just really hates it when Kallis gets hurt and she can’t help and doesn’t even get to bathe in the blood of those who hurt her. Kallis is still covered in blood, so she asks Mania if she wants some, there’s enough. Mania says yes and jumps in Kallis’ arms, saying that yes, she should share actually. Kallis kisses her, Mania kisses her back. The others are rather surprised. The two agree now is maybe not the time.

At the palace, Pythor is dead drunk and extremely surprised to see them return victorious. He hugs Phryné and bows to Kallis. He offers them anything they need and Mania jumps in to say Kallis needs weapons. Pythor says they can talk to his father, turns out the smith Kallis talked to is Volkan. He can’t make anything magical these days, his greatest work was at the mithral forge. Pythor says he’s going to think of something to give Iliana, since he does not have a weapon to bestow on her.

He gets a banquet together and offers them five rooms and everything they need. Iliana grabs all of them and drags them to Kallistrate’s room, where Mania already was so they can finally talk. “I know everyone’s really tired, but we need to talk. Those two just kissed, we swore and oath, we just sacrificed someone, we need to talk with all of us.” She questions the prophecy and asks after everyone’s personal quests. Azelma asks why she didn’t want the prophecy and Iliana explains  that she’s a demigod with a prophecy that she’ll die a young in a grisly manner and that anyone with the Sigh aside from her sister treats her like she’s the harbinger of that terrible fate. Azelma is certain they can fix it, but Iliana says that she’s known her whole life this will be so it’s hard to just believe otherwise. Phryne hugs her and says this is an opportunity, that the awful things people say aren’t’ true. Azelma offers that it might just be a warning. Iliana says that she’s not great at dealing with new people because they might get hurt too, but that they should all get to know each other better. Kallistrate blurts out that she and Mania were lovers 500 years ago. Azelma says that she was always sure she was going to be great and Mania says that’s very interesting, because people have told her all her life she’s special too. She explains she can feel Thylea’s heartbeat, that she has a divine certainty and that she wants to find Thylea.

Kallis asks after Phryné’s goals and she explains her mother was taken by the dragon, that she wants to destroy him. She also wants the world to see her sister as she sees her, mostly because the world is missing out, with a kiss to the top of Iliana’s head. Azelma remarks everyone has family connections. She asks Kallis if she’s got family, but Kallis says she’s not sure humans live that long. She’s here to finish what she started. Iliana adds ‘and then go back to the Oracle’. Mania is very displeased. Kallis says she’s not planning beyond the quest and Phryne agrees, since all they have is to guide them is the prophecy and the will of all their gods. Everything might be different after the quest. Phryné’s words have an impact on Azelma.

They all go to their own rooms again. Azelma looks at her locket again. It seems to be a little more sparkly or complete now.

Kallistrate takes out her needle, which is very familiar. When she uses it, swirls of markings appear at the side of her eyes. She can suddenly see in the dark.

 And that’s it for this session of the Thylead…

@aporeticelenchus @m-siecle @pioup-pioup @somuchbetterthanthat @guineamaina @leomundstinyblog

#thylead #session recap #this went a lot quicker with already having some of the convo transcripts #still... so long... #but now i'm sad we didn't document all the character moments of the beginning of the strahd campaign #so this will just have to be long #though we might need a recap for the recap #odyssey of the dragonlords #dnd #mania's fun and flirty adventure #writing this out the battle looked very cool in my mind #very excited about the banquet #very happy iliana sat everyone down to talk

[badassindistress]

The Thylead (Session 10)

I danced again to a Harpy’s vile tune

Broke their spell before I could once more fall

We arrived at last at Dragonlord’s tomb

Kallis grieved  to remember them all

On their last day in Estoria, Azelma storms into Iliana’s room to ask her about her curse. Iliana explains that she’s always been unnaturally clumsy, that’s she’s known she’s cursed for a long time and that she tried praying and staying out of the way of religious fanatics. Azelma asks if everybody wants to kill her on sight, Iliana replies that people with the Sight don’t want to be near her, but the killing is new. She asks Azelma where all this is coming from. Azelma says that she’s just trying to find out how not have Iliana die again. Iliana explains she saw Lutheria in a dream, that she seemed amused. Azelma says she won’t be for long and promises to protect her. People are dumb about Fate stuff and leave you, Iliana doesn’t need to worry about that. they’ll ensure she’s never alone and always protected. Phryne is very proud and ruffles Azelma’s hair with glistening eyes. Azelma freezes when Phryne calls her a good girl and then runs off. The rest of the day Mania and Phryne teach Iliana to weave a tapestry of dead harpies and basilisks. Mania doesn’t know much about the Fates, they’re shrouded in mystery and she never cared to change fate before.

Cleophe goes to the Angora and buys 2 bedrolls and a big tent (6gp). She’s followed by a group of kids who think she’s really cool. There’s also a man desperately trying to sell something. Shopkeepers explain that is Klaus who stole something from the Telemok graves so now he’s cursed. Selling the stolen goods passes the curse on.

That evening, Kyrah comes to drink with them. She seems a bit anxious, Phryne sees the Nekropolis makes her feel guilty. She asks if Kyrah had rather they didn’t go. Kyrah replies that it’s good that they’re going, draws them a rough map and gives some information. The Tomb of Balmytria is in the centre, they won’t be able to go in there. The other tombs are in the wall. Damon was in charge of the construction. The Tomb of Xander has a maze because he was the commander, there are traps. There’s also a cursed minotaur wraith that haunts the tomb. Xander made enemies, a tribe of Minotaurs who wanted to rob his grave and steal his weapon to use against the dragonlords are now cursed to defend his tomb.

They need to gather the Axe of Xander, the Shield of Vokan and the Breastplate of Mytros, all three arms of Xander.

They need to asks Xander’s blessing and get a sign, after which it will be okay to take his weapons. Azelma asks if Xander was the bad one, Kyrah says that no, he was the best of them. Kallis is upset. Kyrah explains that Damon is the guardian, he took it badly when little Isadore died, she was a descendant of a dragonlord, Kallis would know her. Damon doesn’t speak. Kallis asks Kyrah what she isn’t telling them. Kyrah says the tomb is linked to bad memories. She tells them to look for Estor’s sword. She believes Estor made a deal with Lutheria. No enemies blade will fell him, time would not kill him, possibly more. His tomb is not consecrated because of a “difference of opinion”. The worst he did was killing all the Gygans. When Telemok sent him to battle them, he was supposed to stop but he couldn’t stop. She gives them chalk for the maze. Touching things is okay, taking things that aren’t yours are not. Except for Niklaos’ tomb,the was the last of the dragonlord commanders, he sold the order out, he worshipped Sydon. There were hardly any dragons left then. If they can detect curses and spells they might find something worthwhile in his tomb. Consecration is a sort of oath magic done by a priest. Kyrah pours a cup to the Dragonlords, Kallis leaves before she can see Azelma do the same.

Mania asks Kyrah what she was before she was their lovely Muse. Mania asks Kyra on how she became a god; Kyra tells her that you need a divine spark; that you need to get it or awaken it in yourself.

Mania asks if Kyrah knows who summoned her, because there were many other gods before the 5. Kyrah is surprised. Most people have forgotten those. She asks if Mania remembers Narsus. Mania has read about him, but thought he was a foreign god, but he seems to be associated with Kyrah’s pantheon. He was a God of Beauty, Kyrah says she thinks he didn’t like being a god. Mania says she’s looking for the forgotten titans. Kyrah says she gathered form Lutehria’s things that Sydon likes to name his children after the other titans. There was probably a Versi the First. He’d quite like to have his own pantheon. Mania realises that if she learns the names of Sydon’s other children she’ll have a name to call the lost titans. Kyrah says she’s heard that Lady Lutheria’s barge is drawn by a great titan with eyes and mouth sewn shut. Kyrah promises to keep an eye out for mentions of them. Mytros might speak to Kyrah again once the Oath is over. Kyrah and Mania spent the rest of the evening flirting and drinking.

The following morning, Pythor hugs his daughters goodbye. He tells Kallis to stay safe and gives her a golden statue of a dragon to leave for Adonis and asks her to tell him he’s not forgotten.

On the road Iliana blurts out that she forgot to mention Lutheria’s appearance in her death dream. She declares that instead of hiding she’s going to be filled with all-consuming rage and murder the twin titans. They are all in favour of this plan and Phryne is very proud Iliana got to the anger stage. Mania does some impromptu poetry about Iliana fighting her fate.

They pass giant stone arms that reach out form the earth, the Arms of Kentimane. They exist all over Thylea, but usually alone. Here there’s a whole grove. Cleophe Divine Senses and feels something Celestial in this area. Mania runs into the grove and prays. She falls into a trancelike state and her staff grows warm and more powerful. (max charge is now 6). They pass through the grove of hands to the base of the Mithral Mountains. Kallis notices there are no ambient sounds whatsoever anymore, until they hear singing. Deianeira scouts ahead and flies into a nest of harpies. Phryne puts wool into Mania’s ears just before the harpies swoop down. The harpies sing, but Iliana is entirely unfazed. Mania and Kallis are sadly more susceptible to charm and both nearly walk off the cliff, only regaining control of themselves just before they plummet down. Cleophe tried to keep Kallis with her, but Kallis somehow got free. Harpies get their claws into both Mania and Kallis but they both kill the harpy attacking them. The third flies away. Kallis finds a pouch with 20gp on her harpy, Mania some pretty feathers she immediately tries to give to Kallis because Kallis likes that sort of thing. Kallis says Mania should wear the trophies of her own kill, but accepts one to wear in her hair when Mania insists.

The find the Nekropolis covered in frost, snow and mist. There’s a bridge with a lone skeletal figure on it. It extends a hand and Kallis gives him her coin. It disappears and in its place is a ball of light which grows until Kallis recognises one of the Crowns of the Dragonlords.

She asks Damon if they may enter the tomb and he gestures them forward. Kallis asks if her things are still there, but Damon shakes his head. A map of Thylea, zoomed in on the Island of Yonder appears. Kallis thanks him for guarding this place. Iliana asks him if he regrets becoming what he is and gets another headshake. Azelma quietly asks Iliana what he is and Iliana briefly explains liches. Azelma is a bit too excited and Iliana explains that in exchange for not dying have to give something else up. Azelma cheerfully says they’ll just have to find another way then. (somewhere hereabouts Iliana and Azelma Mage Armour)

The dragonlord tombs are in the wall. There’s warnings inscribed on the wall. Kallis climbs up alone and finds Telamok’s first. The second is Adonis, where she goes in to leave the dragon statue. On the walls are murals of Adonis’ beauty and battles, in one of them Kallistrate and Adonis are battling  skeletons. There are treasures and mithral weapons at the foot of the tomb.

Kallis leaves the harpy feathers she got after the sacrifice fight. Kallis gives her respects and continues on. The rest climb up too, Cleophe vaulting Azelma up.

Tomb inscriptions:

Telamok, Oathsworn of Tysophale, Conqueror and Builder of Cities

Adonis Neurdagon, Oathsworn of Raspytrion, Most Beautiful of the Dragonlords

Estor Arkelander, Oathsworn of Arkania

Niklaos Phobas, Beloved of Sydon

Cosmo Phobas, Who Answered When Called

Rizon Phobas, Oathsworn of Sybolkorax, Champion and Defender

Estor has no further inscription than his dragon’s name. Cleophe Divine Senses but only gets an undead presence further away. Since this grave is not consecrated, Kallis and Cleophe manage to open the door with no trouble. Inside are murals of battles full of slaughter. It is clear these murals were not made by an Estor fan. His dragon seems to be depicted mourning. There’s  a blood red tomb. Kallis remembers moments of yelling from Estor, but nothing specific, aside from a vague memory of Arkania, Estor’s dragon. Phryne Detects Magic, but sees there is nothing magical in this tomb (though the magic does heal Iliana a bit.)

They move on to the next tomb, of Rizon Phobas. Kallis remembers Rizon, always a bit serious, the worrier who stopped people from running off on their own, but sometimes Kallis could get a smile out of her, which was a challenge among the dragonlords. She took over after Xander died. The undead presence is coming from within her tomb and Kallis says they must help. They go in and see a mural with Kosmos, her son, as he joined the Dragonlords. There’s also the skeleton of a Minotaur over her tomb, looking like it is trying to strangle the sarcophagus.

Before it can attack, Mania calls a giant stone hand from the earth to crush the Minotaur in its grasp while the others kill it. In the end, Kallis and Deianeira slice through the bones together. (everyone gets Inspiration for taking an abomination out of the tomb).

They dump the bones outside and restore the tomb to order. Rizon liked whittling and carving, Kallis leaves her her hunting knife. They pass Kosmo Phobas’ tomb, who Kallis remembers as an awkward teenager just joining the order and then. Next is Niklaos, the traitor and last commander of the dragonlords.

And that’s all for this session of the Thylead!

 @aporeticelenchus  @leomundstinyblog @m-siecle @pioup-pioup @somuchbetterthanthat @guineamaina

#empty chairs at empty tables for kallis #very sad #if i missed something please lmk #my internet was laggy for a lot of the tomb bits #i'm feeling much better about the dragonlords now #for some reason i thought estor was the commander #rizon seems cool #weird to learn about people death first #next up #the maze #excited for that too #dnd #thylead #session recap #mania's fun and flirty adventure #flirt with a goddess it's fun!

[badassindistress]

Thylead Session 7

I won the aid of she who vengeful grieves

To safeguard what is now mine to protect

I swore an oath among the withered leaves

She will no longer suffer disrespect

 With sea-red wine we drank a vision down

From sacred dragon’s horn won with cruel tales

But we were led to dream of scythe, not crown

We saw the dark falls where the Ultros sails.

In the temple at Demetria’s mossy grove, Kallis is entangled in vines trying to pull her into the water. Mania persuades the vines to let her go unharmed. While the vines are still swaying to the sound of Mania’s voice, they all edge past the pool. The next room there are cyclops statues with missing hands holding bowls. Azelma sees these statues would move, Mania recognises them as Gygans. Iliana empties one vial of hag’s blood out in the bowls, it disappears as if absorbed. They pass through but nothing happens except for Iliana, who gets clawed at by the statue. It gives an ugly smirk and turns back to normal. Iliana shields just in time.

There’s a tunnel downstairs, covered in vines where Kallis can still hear faint music. They have found the lair, in the middle of which is an enormous tree stump. Mania falls to her knees in front of it, crying and praying for the fallen dryad. She leaves three of her hairs as an offering to the tree. Kallis feels the strange vibes of this place, it feels hazy. Cutting down a dryad’s tree can kill the dryad, although generally you’d have to kill the dryad to get to their tree. Basil scouts around and sees more satyrs and another dryad running in.

Mania tells them they are to see Demetria and that they are to save Thylea. When they say Demetria wouldn’t want to save the land, Mania asks them if she would want her sister’s roots to burn. Demetria will see the if they wait.

Loreus, Carina’s satyr friend is there too. He tells them Demetria serves Lutheria and revles in destruction and death. Azelma asks him what they can offer her and he rreplies revenge against the mortal seabrought races, Arkelander, everybody really. Estor Arkelander is dead, but him and his men still crew the ship. Cleophe asks Kallis if she really doesn’t remember anything about Arkelander and to her surprise Kallistrate finds she does actually remember a little more. She did not get along with him, he always seemed tjust a little too excited for battle. Going to absurd lengths to prove himself better then Telemok Arkelander, his brother who founded Mytros. Cleophe read a story about him, but she’s not sure if it’s true, that Kallistrate nearly killed him in a duel. Kallis agrees that sounds right, that she wouldn’t do that lightly. Cleophe posits it might have had to do with the tree, but Kallis refuses to take credit for that unless she was sure it was true.

Demetria appears. Mania states their business. Demetria is surprised when she mentions Kentimane’s hands. She says she has no quarrel with the little star, but that the mortals have no place her. Mania replies that they are bound to her by oath, they go where she goes. She offers Demetria to end Estor Arkelander’s ghost. Demetria says that would end his suffering, she sees no reason to want that. Mania says he doesn’t deserve to touch her, she deserves to be reunited. Demetria agrees, but only if Mania swears an Oath on it. Within a year and a day she shall return her sister to her or Demetria will have her vengeance on all of them and Mania will be forsworn. Mania swears to that and that Estor Arkelander will no longer be captain.

Demetria presses Mania’s hands into the tree and she draws out a staff made of hands. It’s the hands of Kentimane that wers spread in the old woods. Demetria says he’s not so asleep as they think. When Mania happily agrees Demetria says she shouldn’t be so happy about that, bound to mortals as she is. Demetria believes they will side against the mortals. When Demetria looks at Cleophe she says she has something of hers, a necklace with amulet in shield shape, she can’t remember how she got it. It’s Cleophe’s family crest, a shield with diagonal stripes of orange and pink and a diagonal silver band. (It’s an Amulet of Health)

Mania asks if she can show her friends a proper nymph party and Demetria replies that in her time nymphs could seduce mortals away even at the tender age of 500. They talk a little about Pythor and Demetria seems to soften a little bit when Mania speaks of him as having everyone he loves taken away from him.

She admits to having both the horn and the teenagers but wants something in return. She asks for one of the mortals which Mania refuses because they’re a little bit hers, she might as well give away her own roots. Demetria complains that all Aurea are so possessive and asks for what’s so amusing about these mortals. Mania tries to spin the tragedy of Iliana’s fate into an amusing story for a woman who hates mortals, Demetria does see a knot in her fate. She says she’s not sure if she’s supposed to keep her or kill her. She’s a bit of a joke of the gods, but no the ones she thinks. She should tread lightly around Lady Lutheria if she wishes to live further. Her lifeline could be fixed, if they can find the Fates out in the sea, find their tools and weave a better fate.

Demetria is satisfied. She tells Mania her sister would have liked her. This was not meant as a compliment. Her sister’s name was Kallista. A group of dazed teens come out, one of them carrying a gilded horn. Demetria commands them to come back, tell her the story and she will decide if she wishes to do something. With a parting warning to the little star to try and not burn out, she tells them all to get out of her sight. On the way out, Iliana grabs the pieces of the shattered shield.

The herd the kids back to the vineyard where Therakles is enormously grateful. He gives Cleophe an old family heirloom, though he’s not sure if it’s still in working order. It’s a Javelin of Lightning. They go to rest at the Palace. Cleophe attunes to her Javelin and Mania to the Staff of Hands which has magehand but might get more spells when it’s at full power. Azelma notices that her necklace feels a little more solid everyday. She examines the horn, feels like there’s faint mist coming from it.

The next morning they go return the horn to the shrine, where Azelma informs Aesop they wish to use the horn. Kallis explains and Aesop shows them to the reliquary. They all drink some wine from the horn, thinking about what they need to learn. Kallis wants to know how they should do this, Azelma asks which action will put them on the path of greatness. Iliana thinks visions are cool, but involuntarily replays everything Mania said to Demetria. Mania asks how they can follow the prophecy safely. Cleophe is torn between the prophecy and her family. They feel tired and dazed and fall asleep.

They’re standing on the deck of a beautiful galley on the Cerulean Sea. Look down on a strange bronze device that reflects the constellations. The sign of the bard shines particularly bright The  views change to storm. A massive tower, glowing balls of light form on top. A silver dragon somehow inside. Shining cut form a scythe slices through the vision. Look back on the ship, the men have dead eyes. Sailing off a waterfall.

Azelma writes it all down and asks Aesop for help interpreting it. Aesop says it must be the Ultros, the waterfall is likely the dark falls of the river Lethe. There’s an entrance to the underworld, it’s a place in this land. He wouldn’t advise going down to the Nethersea. The sign of the bard is over the Cerulean Gulf, the tower of Phraxis is over the Forgotten sea, the scythe belongs to Lady Lutheria, though he’s not sure why it would come up. The dragon is interesting there aren’t very may dragons. There’s a tale of some eggs on an island, King Acastus says he’s come across some, perhaps Gaius’ is stolen from there. There must be a reason Acastus hasn’t retrieved the eggs, Azelma thinks it’s just because they’re cowards.

Kallis asks what he knew about Estor/her last journey and why they went. Aesop says he didn’t talk much to him, they didn’t get along. He had the idea to establish a base in the sea and conquer other lands. Thylea was not big enough for him and his brother. Kallis wonders why she went with him if that was the case, she must have had some other reason. Mania asks what Kallis was like when she was a general but Aesop only says she was tall. Iliana says they need the boat. Aesop asks if she means Damon’s boat. What remains of him is at the Nekropolis. He’s no longer human. Iliana asks if he’s made some bad decisions regarding external life. Aesop says he tries not to judge. Damon has appointed himself guardian of the graves, if they don’t intent to rob, he should be helpful. Kallis’ coins should pay their way.

Kallistrate wants to ask a question alone, so the rest file out again. Aesop casts Silence so they can’t listen in. Kallistrate asks if Adonis ever mention a weapon she carried that was of particular importance to her people. “Oh, we’re talking about that now are we?” ”Fuck” “It’s not Gaius’ style.”

Gaius tells Kallis that the Island of Themis attacked cities and got some of her possessions back. Kallis is relieved, but Gaius says that he’s heard bad things about the Princess regent, the previous Queen-regent. Visions are uncertain, but there were signs of Medusae on the island. The Queen-regent was deposed, but he doesn’t know about the internal politics. Kallis might find a cold welcome there, depending on who’s in charge. Kallis says she has no intention of going back. Aesop tells her the check the tombs. Kallis asks if he’s sure the medusae weren’t a metaphor. If she want to know for sure, speak to the lady of coins, at the Collosus of Pythor at Mytros. She might speak to the General.

There’s a possibility there might be a plot against the Oath of Peace at Themis. Kallis says they would never, but different people are in charge now. Kallis asks if, should Aesop see Gaius with more of her stuff, he could slap it out of Gaius’ hand. Aesop promises to do his best.

Waiting outside, Mania has gotten bored and started braiding Azelma’s hair. Kallis explains she just asked after weapons. They decide to go and find the Forge immediately. The pass the Great Falls of Arkelander? And find the collapsed entrance of the mines. Kallis finds a small path around, a little rope ladder down to a fishing area that’s still in use There’s 4 filthy blood-caked Troglodyte Brutes there. Kallis asks if they’re Mania’s type. They’re not. They go into the cavern instead.

In the tunnel, there’s more Troglodyte brutes that immediately attack. They throw magic at them. Kallis get clawed an poisoned, but she and Deianeira kill it. Phryne heals Kallis when she gets bitten again, Iliana shrugs off the poisonous stench. Kallis is in front and is bitten again, she’s down. Mania heals her immediately and tells the brute to keep its filthy hands away from her amazon and Kallis kills it. Cleophe steps over the body and stabs it and Phryne kills it with Toll the Dead. Azelma firebolts another and Kallis kills it after Mania insults it. Cleophe heals Kallis and Divine Senses, but only Mania shows up in the vicinity. There’s more troglodytes further on, who get greeted with multiple firebolts. Iris is down after a bite. Kallis kills two troglodytes in a row. Azelma gets poisoned by the stench. Mania Commands a brute to grovel and Phryné’s spiritual ram headbutts it dead. Phryne blesses Cleophe, Iliana and Azelma, Cleophe kills a brute in one beautiful trike. Azelma shrugs off the poison and sends a fireball around Cleophe to kill it. Iliana’s fireball fizzles out. Azelma gets clawed and bitten. With Mania’s bardic help, Phryné gets an immunity to the poison. The quickly kill another group of brutes, but then another squadron comes in, led by a taller one with a golden headband. He asks to stop the killing, see if they can’t come to an arrangement. He seems much more intelligent than his fellows. He asks for something to brighten his day, so Mania plays him a song. Then he suggests a riddle competition, with the prize being the password for the dwarven-made elevators that lead to the Forge. Iliana gives him a simple riddle, which he guesses, Mania gives him a more complicated one that stumps him. The password is Dragonfolk. The entrance to the mine is guarded by a foul beast that keeps the brutes from going home to the underdark. There’s probably cockatrices and a Cerberus there. Kallis recognises statues of petrified Death dogs, spawned by the Cerberus. The venom on their  teeth causes venomous diseases, Iliana knows. Iliana asks to borrow his circlet, but the says it’s a blessing and a curse he doesn’t feel he can put down. Iliana wants it very badly, she suspects it makes you incredibly clever. Mania and Azelma agree they should steal it on the way back.

 And that’s all for this session of the Thylead!

 @aporeticelenchus @leomundstinyblog @m-siecle @pioup-pioup @somuchbetterthanthat @guineamaina

#dnd #thylead #session recap #mania's fun and flirty adventure #odyssey of the dragonlord spoilers #that was a very fun session #for all that it was terrifying for me #mania didn't roll a single persuasion under a 20 though #and i am weirdly proud of that #time to steal some jewelry for iliana