Session 32: The Rot, the Marigna, and the Fall of McLani

S32 Recap: The Rot, the Marigna, and the Fall of McLani

TL;DR

Venris touched the foul rotting cancer in the crypt and lost a hand to it. A grinding, near-lethal mummy fight followed — backed by NPC priests, a champion, Osef, Vandy, and Father Eldric — during which Veve was downed and Venris nearly died several times. The third sarcophagus disgorged the undead form of McLani, legendary founder of Otari. The crisis ended when a Marigna (a psychopomp answering the Boneyard spirit's call) arrived and sacrificed herself, dissolving both herself and the cancer to nothing. The party walked away with a guardian staff, the Cloak of the Huntress, a parting gift of three spells for Veve, and a lingering rot-paranoia on Venris and Cid.

Previously on

The party had gone into the crypt, fought ghosts, and uncovered a disgusting blue/yellow orb-like cancer attached to a legless corpse. Cid asked Venris to open a tomb; Venris became fascinated, walked up, and touched it, failing a string of checks (including a double nat-1). Veve has spent the encounter talking to a spirit possessing her that is tied to the Boneyard.

What happened

Combat resumed as Venris touched the foul cancer. His hand blackened and rotted; he was dropped near death with persistent bleeding, and his fingers began crumbling from the top down.
Cid grabbed the legless corpse (with the purple rot-thing on it) and hauled it off Venris with an Athletics check, becoming frightened on contact. He then crit-struck the creature with his sword (the Mulona/Rose weapon), which decayed and was destroyed on contact — "not broken, gonzo," leaving only the hilt.
Veve's level-three Heal stopped Venris's decay, cauterizing his arm at a stump somewhere below the wrist. The lost hand is permanent for now (regenerate likely waits until ~14th level).
The possessing spirit kept urging the party to wait — "she is coming." Recall-knowledge checks identified the incoming being as a psychopomp, specifically a Marigna: guardians and shepherds of the dead, tied to Pharasma in the Boneyard. Veve made the spirit helpful to her via Diplomacy.
A vicious mummy fight erupted. NPC reinforcements poured in: Osef, Vandy, Father Eldric/Eldritch, an NPC champion, and a crowd of priests, all urging the party to hold off and touch nothing. The mummies' fists carried mummy rot and a sickening stench. An NPC priest's Divine Lance crit nearly killed Venris and dropped Veve (crit-fail, dying two; 46 damage). The NPC champion smote mummies repeatedly; Cid burned one with the Cassisian helmet's line laser.
The party tried Cleanse Affliction (2nd-rank) on Venris's mummy rot. Veve let the spirit fully possess her; it cut her hand and Demoralized the mummy-priest into dropping its staff.
Two of three sarcophagi rumbled; then the third opened. Out rose McLani — the legendary founder/restorer of Otari, creator of the flume, a renowned warrior-inventor and Rose Guard descendant — now undead. She grappled and savaged the NPC champion (52 damage, nearly killing him) and frightened the party.
The Marigna finally arrived through a silver tear, declared "This corruption is beyond mortal sin," and laid hands on the foul cancer. Both she and the creature dissolved, liquefied, and burned away to nothing — she sacrificed herself to destroy the rot. McLani collapsed; spirits rose from her body and the sarcophagus and were released, including the spirit within Veve.

Aftermath and theories

The departing spirit gifted Veve three spells (including Spiritual Attunement) as bonus slots she can learn or teach.
Venris's mummy rot was cleansed by the priests; Cid was never actually infected. Both retain a lingering paranoia / intrusive "Pull of the Void" — a slow-burn echo of the "empty death" that will demand future will saves.
The party recognized the rot as the same thing that afflicted the young Arn boy at the library, an echo of the empty death from the restroom "reads" in the book.
Loot: the cleric's guardian staff (handed to Veve), and the Cloak of the Huntress, recovered from a pedestal behind a relic-locked door in a room with two statues. Venris put it on, though the GM hinted it may suit someone else better; its mechanics are not yet identified.
The party theorized that Belcorra (Bolcora) may be targeting the area to take revenge on Asefna's legacy or to stop them from gathering the relics — possibly tied to the gaunt-light beam they discussed earlier.

Decisions made

Venris opened the tomb (last session) and touched the cancer, costing him a hand.
Cid repositioned the corpse off Venris rather than attacking immediately.
The party chose to trust the spirit and "wait for her" instead of forcing the fight.
Veve consented to full possession by the spirit to gain its actions.
Venris claimed and put on the Cloak of the Huntress despite uncertainty about who it suits.

Open questions / reminders for next session

The Cloak of the Huntress's properties are unidentified; the GM is undecided on what it does. Resolve identification next time.
Venris and Cid carry a lingering rot-paranoia that will trigger future will saves — keep an eye on them.
Venris wants his hand restored (regenerate at ~14th level).
A relic-locked door remains; the party is still gathering relics to open it.
Belcorra's motive (revenge on Asefna's legacy vs. blocking the relics) and the gaunt-light connection are unconfirmed.
The party can revisit the young Arn boy at the church for more on the empty death.

Scene timeline (10)

00:00:00	Pregame chatter and tech setup Players gather, deal with streaming/Discord/Foundry setup, drink and joke around. Off-topic table chatter about cats, immune systems, and website issues before the GM calls for the recap. [S32 · 00:07:02 · turn 0052 · scene 001]
00:14:53	GM recap of the crypt cliffhanger The GM (Speaker C) recaps the previous session: the party descended into a crypt, fought ghosts, and uncovered a rotting blue/yellow orb-like creature (a foul cancer) attached to a legless corpse. Cid had asked Venris to open a tomb; Venris became fascinated, walked up, and touched the thing, failing multiple checks including a double nat-1. Veve has been talking with a spirit possessing her that has a connection to the Boneyard. Priests (NPCs) were rolling into the scene. [S32 · 00:15:16 · turn 0105 · scene 002]
00:18:43	Venris touches the rot; his hand decays Combat resumes as Venris touches the foul cancer. His hand blackens and rots, he is dropped near death with persistent bleed, and his fingers crumble. Cid grabs and repositions the legless corpse (with the purple rot-thing on it) away from Venris with an Athletics check, becoming frightened on contact. Cid then crit-attacks the creature with the Mulona/sword, which decays and is destroyed (gonzo) on contact, leaving only the hilt. The invisibility spell on the party breaks when hostile action is taken. [S32 · 00:18:49 · turn 0136 · scene 003]
00:33:17	The spirit, the Boneyard, and the coming psychopomp The spirit possessing Veve communicates that 'she is coming' to handle the corruption. Veve heals herself and Venris (level-three Heal stops the decay, cauterizing Venris's arm somewhere below the wrist). Recall-knowledge checks establish the incoming being is a psychopomp, specifically a Marigna, guardians/shepherds of the dead tied to Pharasma in the Boneyard. Veve uses Diplomacy to make the spirit helpful to her. Mummies' stench imposes sickened/slowed conditions; the party rolls saves. [S32 · 00:46:31 · turn 0384 · scene 004]
00:55:25	Mummy fight: priests, champion, and the party nearly wiped A brutal mummy combat. NPC reinforcements arrive (Osef, Vandy, Father Eldric/Eldritch, an NPC champion, and many priests), telling the party to hold off and not touch anything until 'she' arrives. The mummies' fists carry mummy rot disease and a stench; a giga-rolling NPC priest casts a Divine Lance AoE that critically hits, nearly killing Venris and downing Veve (crit-fail, dying two). The NPC champion smites and mashes mummies. Cid fires the Cassisian helmet laser line, burning a mummy. The party is badly battered but kept alive by NPC heals and bardic support. [S32 · 01:17:55 · turn 0701 · scene 005]
01:33:54	Veve possessed; intimidating the priest; the third sarcophagus stirs The party tries treating Venris's mummy rot (Cleanse Affliction, second-rank). Veve allows the spirit to take possession; it cuts her hand and Intimidates the mummy-priest (Demoralize), making it unfriendly and forcing it to drop its staff, plus a spell that leaves the creature off-guard. Combat continues with the champion smiting, Venris flanking with his ghost-touch Kukri (precision damage), Cid striking with the Rose Sargentes sword. Two of three sarcophagi rumble; the third sarcophagus then opens and something ancient stirs to roll into initiative. [S32 · 02:16:28 · turn 1247 · scene 006]
02:34:02	McLani rises as an undead boss The thing from the third sarcophagus is revealed to be McLani — the legendary founder/restorer of Otari, creator of the flume, a renowned warrior-lumberjack-inventor and a Rose Guard descendant — now an undead boss. She is scarier than the priest, grapples and bites the NPC champion (52 damage, nearly killing him) and inflicts frightened on the party. The party and NPCs whittle her down with sword strikes, precision damage, and bardic Rallying Anthem / Lingering Composition support. [S32 · 02:51:22 · turn 1581 · scene 007]
03:21:35	The Marigna arrives and sacrifices herself to destroy the cancer The Marigna (winged psychopump) enters through a silver tear, declaring 'This corruption is beyond mortal sin.' She lays hands on the foul cancer, channeling pale light; both she and the creature dissolve, liquefy, and burn away to nothing — destroying the rot at the cost of her own form. McLani collapses; spirits rise from McLani's body and the sarcophagus and are released, including the spirit within Veve. [S32 · 03:21:26 · turn 1887 · scene 008]
03:25:19	Aftermath: spirit's gift, mummy rot cleansed, and loot The departing spirit gifts Veve three spells (including Spiritual Attunement) as bonus spell slots she can learn or teach. Venris's mummy rot is cleansed by the priests (Cid never actually got infected). The party recognizes the rot is an echo of the 'empty death' tied to the restroom/reads in the book and the young Arn boy at the library. Loot recovered: the cleric's guardian staff (given to Veve), the Cloak of the Huntress (taken from a pedestal in a room with two statues behind a relic-locked door; Venris puts it on though it may suit someone else better). Venris's Mulona/Rose sword hilt is fully destroyed, runes ruined. [S32 · 03:24:20 · turn 1909 · scene 009]
03:48:36	Debrief, theories, and session wind-down The GM asks the players for in-character theories about what happened. The party connects the rotting moss/cancer to the empty death and the whispering reeds, the moss-covered skull at the elevator, and theorizes Belcorra (Bolcora) may be targeting the area to take revenge on Asefna's legacy or to stop the party from gathering the relics, possibly tied to the gaunt-light beam. Venris wants his hand restored (regenerate at ~14th level). The session ends late with the party tired; the cloak's identity and the GM's decision on it are deferred to next session. [S32 · 03:59:42 · turn 2223 · scene 010]

← S31 S33 →