Session 5: Awaken the Rose Hydra

The Double A Squad takes on another job in the Anomalous Forest. The Town of Rose Beacon along the Kirinal River in the Kirinal Wastes has been establishing itself as civilization tries to reclaim the devastated lands.

Rose Beacon was founded amongst an area full of roses along the river. They found that the source of the blooms was the Rose Temple devoted to Layanda, goddess of beauty and love. It had been abandoned for centuries after the Kirinal Catastrophes. It's caretaker, the dryad Antracia, had become obsessed with solitude and poisons. She did not appreciate the return of civilization to lands she considered her own.

The people of Rose Beacon began to disappear as strange lights and strange blooms began to appear around the former temple.

As they traveled on the road alongside the river, they felt eyes upon them. They knew an attack was coming, but didn't know what it could be. Suddenly thorns shot at them from the shrubs around them.

Tiny Deadrose Knights sprung out to attack them. These small plantmen were dressed in little suits of armor with little thorny swords. They were supported by Deadrose Hunters, in less armor, but carrying thorn-throwing crossbows that shot poisoned thorns. Their heads were a combination of rosebuds and skulls.

The Triple A Hunters fought as they were peppered by thorns and as rose vines grew up out of the road to hold them in place. Even as they fought, Whisper the Bard convinced them that he was seeking the Temple of Layanda to serve Anthracia. The Deadroses instead decided to escort the group to the Rose Temple.

As they approached the Temple, the stealthier members of the party, Ballscream and Lulu, slid off into the underbrush without the Deadroses noticing. They shadowed the party and prepared an ambush for the eventual confrontation.

They arrived at the temple to discover Anthracia performing a ritual with 4 villagers arranged around a rose symbol in front of the Temple. She intoned, "I summon the Rose Hydra. If you truly wish to follow me, come help me with my righteous sacrifice!"

The Double A Hunters pretended to come in to help, but then attacked in an attempt to stop the sacrifice. Several of the villagers were shot through with thorns and fell bleeding to death. But Kaching managed to heal them and protect them.

Ballscream and Lulu moved in to pull villagers out as Garbanzo laid down covering fire. Whisper tried to convince everyone that the madness must end, but eventually got into a spoken word battle with Anthracia.

They managed to prevent the summoning of the Rose Hydra, but the mad dryad escaped. They felt they would have to face her again some day.

Concordance Chronicle

Thorn Among Roses

Double A stumble upon a defiled temple of Layanda. The temple has been decaying for a few centuries and has recently begun to revice with the immigration of folks from outside the Anomalous Forest.

Anthracia the Dryad, the previous caretaker, has been corrupted. She has been sacrificing newcomers traveling through the Forest to the roses in the Temple's garden. The rot has spread throughout the temple, especially in the rose blooms.

Double A manages to save villagers who were trapped among the thorns during a ritual to summon the Rose Hydra. They cleared some of the rot amongst the roses of the temple.

Unfortunately, Anthracia escaped by teleporting from one cluster of roses to another. The team feels like they will need to come back to hedge the blight.

Rose Beacon Estates

Come join the vibrant new community along the banks of the mercurial Kirinal River! New homes beginning at 3,000 Bilog!