Session 36 - Gootcha Talks to Death
Session 36 - Gootcha Talks to Death
Date: 3/29/25
DM: Wes
Summary
A Tabaxi and a Greek...
While traveling to the Hill of Lost Souls, Bernie notices a couple of folks sending up smoke signals and trying to get the attention of those on the castle. After landing the party meets Karma, a Tabaxi Druid and Alexios, a Human Paladin.
They seem nice so a ride is offered and now there are six.
Travel to the Hills of Lost Souls
As the party gets close to the Hill of Lost Souls in their flying castle, they see that it's not a range of hills, but a single sprawling volcano barely rising above the surrounding plains. Its gentle slopes are draped in blackened rock, split by deep fissures where wisps of sulfurous steam curl into the air like ghostly tendrils. At its heart, a vast crater yawns wide, its edges jagged and broken.
Encircling the volcano, jagged stone formations jut from the ground at odd angles, forming a chaotic, unnatural skyline. Among them, veins of obsidian weave through the rock like frozen rivers of black glass, but to the north, something far larger dominates the landscape—a vast outcropping of raw, unrefined obsidian.
The stone formations prevent the castle from landing on the slopes of the volcano as a cloud of toxic fumes rising from the crater prevents an air-insertion. The party parks their ride and starts searching the area for an elusive temple.
Searching the Hills - Day 1
As the group moves in a generally northerly direction, everyone's Survival skills are put to the test. Thankfully, Keyleth, Karma, Xanphina, and Gootcha are proficient survivalists and the party stayed on the path.
During the first day of searching, the terrain began to shift from rolling grasslands and patches of dry scrub to stretches of ashen earth with tiny shards of obsidian glistening among the dirt and stone.
An encounter with Spectres and Death Cult Fanatics did little to slow the group (they may have spent more time closing the unreasonably large distance between them and the cultists than they did dispatching them).
Day 2 of Searching
The size of the volcano and surrounding area is misleading from above but the jagged rock formations stretch for miles around the central crater.
As the party gets closer to the large obsidian outcropping on the northern face of the volcano, cracks in the ground begin to widen into veins of glossy black stone as if the earth itself has been stained by shadows. The path begins to wind between rising obsidian formations, some standing like crude gravestones while others as delicate as frozen waves of liquid night.
Once again the party is stopped on the trail by more Death Cult Cultists and their indentured spirits. And once again the battle commenced with much distance between the party of brave adventurers and followers of the Raven Queen but Deez Nuts are professionals and they dispatched the cultists and spirits with ease.
Day 3 of Searching
Early on the third day the adventurers come upon a grim tableau: five robed cultists standing in a cracked summoning circle carved into moss-covered stone. Sigils burn with an angry red light and a chained, unconscious tiefling lies in the center, her blood feeding the runes.
The adventurers exchange blows with Guard Drakes and a couple Dragon Claws when suddenly there's a roar like tearing silk and a blast of heat that scorches everything around the summoning circle.
A rift in the air births a figure of terrible grace — six feet of flawless, obsidian-armored power. The party recognizes her as an Erinyes, a devil high in the infernal hierarchy.
The Dragon Soul that inscribed the runes of the circle had made a mistake and while the summoning was a success, he was not in control of the devil they had summoned.
The Erinyes broke the circle, hurling the cultist back.
While the party was busy taking care of the other cultists and guard drakes, the Erinyes made quick work of the Dragon Soul.
The brave Alexios attempted to command the Erinyes but his efforts were trivially ignored by the Erinyes.
The Erinyes recognized Shade and spoke to her, "You are the one known as Shade, are you not? Curious that you would be here as well. Know this, while you were born into a world that mistook you for a mistake, your lineage is no accident."
She said her name was Zarchelia then flew off to the north to answer the call of her master.
The Temple is Found
At last, you see it—the Temple rising from the mass of obsidian ahead. Unlike the rough, shattered formations before, it is perfectly formed, an obsidian monolith of impossible craftsmanship. Its walls are sleek and mirror-like, reflecting the raven-filled sky in unnatural clarity. Towering spires twist upward, their tips curving like the talons of some great unseen entity. Carved reliefs of ravens in flight and cloaked figures in mourning adorn the structure, each detail hauntingly lifelike, as if frozen in the moment between life and death.
A grand staircase of black marble leads to the temple's entrance—massive onyx doors, untouched by time, marked only by the sigil of a raven's eye. As the party draws near, a sudden gust of wind sweeps through the cliffs, carrying with it a chorus of whispers, indistinct but filled with familiar voices—lost loved ones, old regrets, memories thought long buried.
The doors, impossibly heavy, begin to swing open without a sound, an invitation into the waiting darkness beyond.
The architecture of the temple interior is elegant but somber, with high vaulted ceilings and archways carved to resemble outstretched wings. Murals along the walls depict the Goddess's dominion over fate and memory—figures losing their identities to her embrace, shattered souls being woven into new tapestries.
At the center of the chamber is an altar of black marble, on which rests an ornate silver mirror that does not reflect the present—instead, it shows fragments of the past, images of lost loved ones, and glimpses of possible futures.
The Raven Queen Speaks
A figure materializes from the shadows near the altar—a tall, veiled woman, her form seemingly made of flowing black silk and swirling mist. Where her face should be, there is only the smooth surface of a pale mask, devoid of features save for dark hollows where eyes should be.
The Goddess of Death, the Raven Queen, ruler of Shadowfell, has arrived.
The party defeats the trial set before them then the Raven Queen makes Gootcha an offer. The Dragon Cult is snatching souls from the Shadowfell that belong to the Raven Queen. The Raven Queen offers a pact: in exchange for power, Gootcha must return the souls of Rath Modar and Rezmir to the Shadowfell.
But before Gootcha can respond a figure steps through the mirror and into the temple. A tall broad-shouldered man clad in crimson and black plate armor. His skin is the color of aged iron and his horns curl back like a ram's. His eyes glow with molten gold and his gauntleted hand holds a massive tome bound in chains of blackened steel.
The party thinks through everything they know of magic, and history, and religion but have no idea who this mysterious and devilishly-handsome person could be.
The figure offers Gootcha a different pact. He will provide power to Gootcha if she stops the Dragon Cult and keeps Tiamat in Avernus.
Gootcha knows that the Raven Queen has been guiding her steps since she started down the path of a Phantom Rogue and makes a pact to increase her power and connection to the Raven Queen even more.
Where We Left It
The party is in the temple and the Raven Queen and Devil have both left.
When we meet next we see what treasure is in the temple and try to make our way back out of the Hill of Lost Souls.
XP Awards
To be added by DM
Notable Characters
Locations
Factions Involved
Items Found
- None mentioned