Weeding the Garden
Brindle (and Grumbar), Chunk, Coine, Dorian, Flynn and Urzein
Short Synopsis
The group descends into a chamber with statues. They explore the underground chamber and eliminate twigblights and a water weird. Eventually, they meet a servant of Ilmater. In order to obtain the needed cinder-root, they would need to make confessions. After their confessions, the servant grants them access to cinder-root. They return to the abbey and there the priests revive Grumbar
Long Synopsis
The adventurers have traveled to a ruin where cinder-root has been known to grow. They desperately need the cinder-root as a reagent to revive the deceased Grumbar. They descend into a chamber with statues with suffering etched upon their faces. Coine and Brindle recognize the engravings refer to the God Ilmater. They hear noises on the other side of the doors to the north and the south.
They open the door to the north to find GMO twig-blights on the other side. Urzein and Chunk are enraged at their GMO foes. The party engages in slash and burn farming, with Brindle focusing on the burning while the remaining party slashes and smashes them into mulch.
In the room to the north, the adventurers find a statue of a man holding a bowl of glowing liquid. Curious, Urzein climbs up and tips the bowl into the basin below to see if it helps with irrigation. Instead, a water weird is summoned and it seizes Urzein. Chunk is terrified of water (possibly from too many or too few baths as a child), and he dashes into another room filled with more GMO twig blights. Coine uses his thornwhip to attack the water weird, but accidentally manages to snag Urzein and pull him free. Dorian charges in with his glowing pact weapon while Flynn and Brindle use their magic. Urzein unleashes a flurry of attacks, but his ordinary weapons seem to do little damage. Under the sustained attack of the party, the water weird collapses.
The party rushes into the other room to assist Chunk in trimming down the twig blights. After a brief battle, they turn the twig blights into compostable material. They inspect the room to the south. There, Coine discovers a priest’s chamber with a minor healing potion, a holy symbol, notes and a key. Coine hands the holy symbol to Brindle, who was an acolyte of Ilmater. The notes describe how to summon and control a water weird.
Then they head to the western chamber. At the far end of the room is a well with clusters of cinder-root. There is also an imposing armored guardian standing protectively over the cinder-root. The guardian is unwilling to give the cinder-root to the party unless they can demonstrate that they have suffered for others. He demands a confessional, and each of the party members makes a confession. Coine also has Grumbar’s name burned into his flesh as a permanent reminder. The guardian is satisfied with the confession and the party harvests two bushels of cinder-root.
Upon returning to the Friary of St. Amahl with the cinder-root reagent, Prior Azim and Sister Lierna conduct the ritual of resurrection. Grumbar eyes flash open and he returns to life.
