The Abyss

Torchbearer
Cursed Lands Session 18

March 3, 2019

Running through the woods, Rasotto and Billy separated from the rest of the group. They were lost and as midday approached light from the suns rays directly above shone through and managed to dimly light the forest a bit.

They were in a small groove, with the trees vaulting overhead. In the middle of the groove standing batter and worn arch about the size of a doorway. The arch stood on a platform made out of concentric steps leading to the top. As Rasotto neared it, the hair on his arms and beard felt static in the air and as he passed through an audible pop. A small shock and that was all. Intrigued, he put his eyes real close and also listened to the stone. His mastery of stonework allowed him to ascertain that this was a magic portal and that to use it the secret phase and ritual must be performed and the magic will hurl you through space to a different location. Curious they cleared off the moss and felt the runes. They decided to bring the cleric back hear, once they found him to translate. So set off, looking for any trail leading from the portal. They found a long seldom used, slightly overgrown stone path heading back in the direction of the Cathedral. They followed it away and found a secret wagon trail, South would lead to the Cathedral and North, to the edge of the forest. Not wanting to have anything do with the wood and hoping their members of the group would assemble at the gates of Crowthorne they set off. Exhausted and run ragged they hunkered down to camp on the edge of the woods just South of Crowthorne, when small animals and other creatures starting moving real fast. A raging wildfire started in this section of the forest. They had to break camp immediately, this was going to be a long night. Wary they set off to the west, travelling for some time before entering the forest following their map circumnavigating the fire.

The sought the Forest-kith. And they found them, walking the ground started to give way, and Rasotto manages to throw himself aside, but Billy wasn’t so lucky. He was at the bottom of a near 20-foot pit. Rasotto was going quickly search for a branch or vine to extricate the halfling from the hole, but Rasotto instinctively scouted the area for danger, to which he saw the waiting eyes of the Forest-kith. They tree-like nature and leaf-like voice creepy and alien, started to accuse them of starting the fire. After a heated argument, both sides agreed that the blaze was the work of the beastmen, for Liar’s Castle and that they were searching the forest for the party and so they were responsible for mediating the punishment to the beastmen. Agreeing that the beastmen should die for the crimes, they helped Billy out of the pit and relayed a message that their leader wanted to speak with them.