Journey to Neverlight Grove

Day 9

Hook Horror Hunt

• the party begins to loot the corpses
  • Cynlant grows armory
  • as always, the heads are secured
  • the displacer beast is butchered in the field
• Kyem retrieves the hook horror eggs, and hands them off to Bon
  • Bon tucks a single egg into his cloak, incubating it
  • Cynlant hands over four hide armors, which Bon uses to fashion carries for the eggs

End of Day 9

• Yvelia feels her coin purse grow heavier, as Mr. F provides a reward for slaying a soldier in the Demigorgon’s army
• Yl’lib pisses on Bon
  • it ✨sparkles ✨ and smells strangely nice

Day 10

• after packing up camp the party continues into another cavern
• in an area of strong Faerez, all sounds seem muffled
  • it is pleasantly quiet as Oneshoe’s usually babbling is nearly muted
  • Bon and Cynlant determine it is just an oddity of the Underdark, and nothing to be afraid of
• the partyrew continues their journey to Neverlight

Mushroom Growth

• the density of mushrooms continues to increase as the group continues
• Oneshoe and Bon notice a wandering giant Zirkwood
• Stool tells the group that they are in a patch of mushrooms being cultivated by the colony
• adult myconids wander the patch, tending to the mushrooms
  • they are also very caked up
• Oneshoe asks Stool “Is that your dad”
  • Stool justifiably calls her racist
• a myconid puffs rapport spores and greets the partyrew
  • Stool feels relieved, meeting with his own people for the first time in awhile
• the myconid invites the group to be guided to the grove, to meet Sovereigns Phyllo and Basidia
• Stool informs the group that the grove is lead by two sovereigns
  • two circles joined as one, something that is atypical for myconids
• the partyrew accepts the offer, and follows the guide

Neverlight Grove

Day 10 Continued

Approach to Neverlight Grove

• the group has to file through a narrow tunnel as they approach the Grove
• the guide’s name is Florence
• the tunnel begins to open up into a huge mushroom covered cavern
  • a mushroom Forrest gives way to a basin with a small lake
  • patches of mushrooms grow in the distance
  • a scent of decay permeates the air
• Stool appears to grow more at peace as he returns home
• the partyrew continues their walk towards the Sovereigns dwelling through soggy soil
• a tall myconid orders smaller myconids off as the group approaches

Loobmub

• the tall myconid introduces himself as Loobmub
  • it is the leader of the Circle of the Hunt
  • they are hunting a Greck and Shambling Mound
• Oneshoe conjures a minor illusion of the plant dragon
  • Loobmub does not recognize it, but thanks the group
• Loobmub mentions that sovreign Phyllo is eager to greet outsides, possibly too eager
  • Oneshoe detects that it seems concerned
• Cynlant asks if any strange occurrences has happened in the area
  • not to Loobmub’s knowledge
• the party decides to not share any more info
• Loobmub mentions that Sovereign Basidia would be interested in the remains of the Shambling Mound and the Greck

Reanimated Corpses

• a quaggoth and drow shamble, covered in spores and mushroom growths
• Oneshoe is racist again by asking if Sarith or Joaquin knew the drow
  • both look at they disappointedly and say no

Meeting the Sovereigns

• Florence finishes guiding the party to an dry and uplifted portion of the basin
  • a glowing mushroom growth covers the plateau
  • large Zirkwoods patrol the area
• two myconids are stand revered by the others, with signs of subservience being shown towards them
  • they are the Sovereigns
• Cynlant notices a slight amount fiendish energy emanating from the shorter Sovereign
• Sovereign Phyllo greets the partyrew first
  • Sovereign Basidia greets them next
• they mention the partyrew has come at an wonderful time, since it is a day of celebration
  • the Circle of Masters is preparing a surprise on the eastern plateau
  • they Sovereigns offer a place to rest for the day
• Sovereign Basidia offers to give the group a tour of the grove
• stool mentions that the harmony of the sovereigns is off
• Basidia leads the partyrew away
  • Bon observes a slight discomfort within them

Basidia’s Tour

• after making some distance from Phyllo, the partyrew begins to question Basidia
• Oneshoe inquires about the relationship between Basidia and Phyllo
  • it believes that Phyllo has contracted some type of spore, and the answer lies within the garden
• according to Basidia, Phyllo mentions “the Great Seeder” is going to give her gifts soon
• Cynlant runs Basidia through the other happenings of the Underdark
• Basidia tells the partyrew that Phyllo has been infected for the past “100 cycles”

Circle of Builders

• the tour continues to the Circle of Builder
  • the myconids are working on construction
• Cynlant divinely senses fiendish energy from some of the construction myconids
• according to Basidia there is a growing schism amongs the myconids, some seek to grow the circle beyond its means
• Graspide welcomes the group, but has a fiendish energy swirling about it
  • it is interested in the surface architecture
  • Oneshoe shows minor illusions of surface houses, and castles
  • Yvelia describes the materials of the surface
  • Bon argues that the myconids should leave as nature intended
• Graspide sends images over rapport spores of peculiar architecture the Circle wishes to build
  • they want to build castles which what they don’t need
  • towers which they don’t need
• Cynlant mentions the to the partyrew and Basidia that this screams of demon lord influence
• soon after Phyllo’s change of demeanor, Graspide began displaying changes

Circle of Growers

• Yvleia dispatches Kyem to the forbidden area
• Hebopeeb is the leader of the Circle of Growers
  • it seems disinterested in communicating the outsiders
  • it focuses on farming

Quest Giving

• Basidia gives the partyrew a moldy scroll
  • its a scroll of protection, as a token of good will for handling the situation
  • specifically for fiends
• the group passes by a two Chults
  • centaur like crab people
  • they obey the Circle of Sporers
• the Circle of Sporers sprout new myconids

Kyem’s Little Mission

• Kyem turns invisible as he begins to approach the forbidden area of the grove

• Yvelia begins to view through Kyem’s senses

• myconids stand in a circle

  • moldy humanoid heads appear to be half alive and suffering
  • the humanoids are spouting puffs of decay as they endure their torment
  • a single voice faintly cries in undercommon for help

• Yvelia faints in fear, losing contact with Kyem’s senses

  • she now occasionally stares off in the distance randomly

• Yvelia recounts the sights and sounds of the organ slaves as she describes them

• Cynalnt asks Basidia to detect the spores on the partyrew

  • Sarith has a similar influence to him as the infected myconids

• Kyem notices a large fugal larva, slithering and walking bipedal

  • it has mold and lichen growing in hypnotic patterns
  • the larva is speaking in undercommon to a circle, giving orders

• Basidia informs the partyrew that multiple Circles support Phyllo’s expansion

  • Yropb of the Circle of Sporers
  • Ysterbo of the Circle of Masters
  • Graspide of the Circle of Builders

Circle of Masters

• the Circle of Masters is responsible for melding
• the myconids are going to meld within in an hour
  • they share thoughts, experiences, and memories
• Basidia has tried to reach out to other grove members, but the
• recently Phyllo introduced melding within only a circle
• Kyem flies out to get counts of the organ slaves
  • mostly underdark races
  • some are completely dead
  • a single drow is calling for help, begging to be killed
• Cynlant plans to attempt curing a myconid while they are melding

Circle of Explorers

• Rasao the leader of the Circle of Explorers, greats the group
• after suggestion from Basidia, Rasao points a secret entrance to the forbidden area

Scheming

• the partyrew begins to plan how to investigate the fiendish ritual
• Sarith is extremely excited to investigate the circles
  • the group tries to plan how to handle him
    • bind him and leave him
    • or bind him and bring him
• Oneshoe asks if he’d be ok with being bound and left behind
  • he is not
• Yvelia somehow convinces Sarith that he should eat a pygmy mushroom and hide in Cynlant’s cloak
  • it takes some help from Bon, but he agrees that its best if there’s “plausible deniability of his involvement”

Forbidden Area

• Sarith takes a pygmy and is tied to Cynalnt
• the partyrew stealths towards a small cliff
• Cynlant is the first to scale the cliff, he tosses a rope down
  • the remainder of the partyrew ascends the cliff face
• scouting ahead a bit, Kyem watches some myconids move in the distance
• magic shimmers from Cynlant’s hand as he fades to invisibility
• the partyrew begins to sneak deeper, towards the pit of half alive heads
• the single drow head speaks over message with Cynlant, begging to be spared from the queen of rot by being killed
  • it is the demon prince Zuggtomy the lady of rot and decay
• Yvelia sends Kyem off to scout more
• as the partyrew discusses the fate of the heads, the slug approaches
  • they quickly deliberate to hide in the nook of the cavern wall
• Kyem scouts ahead and sees a giant mushroom
  • a weird assortment of lights and sounds come from the giant mushroom
  • a stench of rot and decay wash over him
  • an entrance lies at base of the mushroom
• Oneshoe begins to cast fireball