8 February 2019

Neverlight Grove After a breakfast of grubs and more mushrooms the group sets out deeper in the fungal mangroves. After about half a day of travel the waters get too shallow to continue by boat. So the boat is put on blocks with raft on top securely tied down. The group travels further by foot.

Suddenly Kais and Caius feel the ground move under their feet. In the dim light of the luminescent fungi they figure out that the ground they are standing on are actually patches of snakes. In an effort to rescue Caius Bree casts a shatter spell, scaring off the snakes but hurting Caius in the process. Meanwhile Ezri casts her flame blade and roasts the other patch of snakes. Providing the group with an ample amount of roasted snake snacks.

Nearing the end of the day, sounds of fighting are heard coming from ahead. Ezri takes her giant spider shape and scouts ahead together with Bree. They see a group of myconids fighting a big mountain of vegetation. The Shambling Mound has seriously hurt one of the mushrooms fighting. Bree runs back to the group to get help. With combined efforts the shambling mound is defeated and Autun uses his powers to heal the hurt myconid.

The four myconids introduce themselves as members of the Circle of the Hunters. They are out on patrol to fight Shambling Mounds as the big heap of vegetation is called and tell that the mounds usually come in pairs. In sharing a meal the group tells about Stool's fate. Upon that we are given directions to Neverlight Grove and the leader of the hunters hands Autun a big glowing spore, ensuring that it will give save passage into Neverlight Grove. The next morning the group sets out towards the Myconid town, following the directions given.

Inside the grove the group heads to the biggest mushroom in sight. Autun holding up the glowing spore in a gesture of reverence. The group gets greeted by Phylo, who introduces themselve as one of two sovereigns in Neverlight Grove. Phylo is quite happy and talkative and invites the group for the big celebration that is upcoming. He mentions that this celebration will join all Myconids together in a great unification. It's a story that sounds just a bit too familiar to the group and they are cautious.

Once Phylo gets on with his tasks and is out of hearing distance the second mushroom turns to group and introduces itself as Basidia, the other sovereign of Neverlight Grove. He is more solemn about everything that is happening and tells about the factions that have formed amongst the myconid race. He also tells about the hierarchical way spores are now melded, with leaders of each faction representing their clan. He doesn't seem all that happy about the festivities that were announced earlier, and says something that could thought of that the myconid factions only work together out of necessity. The group tries to tell about what happened in Sloobludop but it seems to not impress the myconid.

The group finds a place to make camp and encounter Loobamub, the leader of the circle of Hunters. He gives some more insights in myconid society. Besides the circle of hunters there are the:

• circle of sporers
• circle of builders
• circle of growers
• the inner circle

He also tells a little about the way the myconids procreate and directs te group to Yrberop who is from the circle of sporers. In the myconid nursery the group gets to hug and cuddle with baby mushrooms. One of the baby mushrooms is handed to Autun where he names himself Droopa, hitting the soft spot in Autun's caring heart. (Droopa is Orcish for "ground flour", so our best guess is that the little shroom picked up on the mix of words and thoughts in our heads and decided to name itself Ground Flower.) Disturbingly, the nurse 'shroom of the nursery says that they've been raising extra little ones lately. They aren't sure why, but they have a feeling that extra little ones might be... nice, or something. We also get a lecture on myconid reproduction. After visiting the nursery the group heads back to camp near the hunters and lay down for the night.

Bree and Shuushar take the first watch: They overhear the hunters talk about a powerful creature and their pondering if they should ask the surface dwellers with their sharp weapons for help defeating this creature.

Ezri and Kais take second watch: Kais doesn't notice anything special, while Ezri just sits near the fire daydreaming about her love she dreamt earlier about.

Autun takes third watch: He notices the hunters have come to a conclusion and will ask for help.

Dreams: Autun finds himself in the myconid nursery hugging and playing with all the baby mushrooms. He is overjoyed. Caius dreams about winning a dragon chess tournament at age 10. Bree dreams of walking through Neverlight Grove, the Mushrooms smiling upon them Ezri is heavily entangled with Vayana, doing things that would be befitting for the Drow Boudoir.

In the morning Loobamub asks the group for help to slay this approaching danger. The group agrees to help and set out with Gomphus as a guide.

A couple of hours outside Neverlight Grove they encounter a 10 feet tall monster with a snakelike tail with tentacles and a ferocious beak. After a couple of missile weapons don't seem to de very much damage Ezri casts Moonbeam, startling and hurting the underdark beast that clearly isn't used to light, especially not a very bright light that seems to burn their skin. Autun swings his great axe and finishes off the beast.

The group ties up the dead monster in order to drag it back to Neverlight Grove.

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Elements to include:

• long portage
• nests of vipers
• sounds of fighting
• myconids & shambling mound
• most talkative (name?) of the ring-of-hunters give big spore to meet the sovereigns
• in Neverlight Grove meet two of the sovereigns (names?)
• one is super happy and talking of a great unification
• stoic one (name?) later reveals not so enthusiastic
• lots of little ones being raised in the spawning area
• after rest, one of the remaining ring-of-hunters asks our heroes to deal with impending threat from creepy snake-starfish-tentacled beast
• guided by Gomphus to find, then kill beast, prepare to drag it back

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Inventory (incomplete!)

Lost

• a zurkhwood raft (uses 150 feet of rope) (left on the shore with the boat)
• a lot of zurkhwood firewood (left on the shore with the boat)
• a lot of salt (left on the shore with the boat)

Party inventory

• <everything prior to 11 Jan>
• a lot of fish
• a Quiver of Ehlonna (like a bag of holding, but only for long thin objects).
• 55gp, 70sp, 22cp
• pouch with incense (worth 5gp)
• 2 gourds of antitoxin
• 1 flask of holy water
• one pair of spectacles of darkvision
• 6# of trillimac
• 10 water orbs

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Prior: 1 February 2019, All: Play_Sessions, Next: 22 February 2019