Ka’tau visits Cristoff, who has expanded his business a lot with several people working under him. They talk and Cristoff agrees to help with de design of a tunnel from the Bahamut temple to the guild. Cristoff explains that adamantium comes from starmetal or very deep mines. This brings the talk with trade with the goblins. Ka’tau asks to set up a trade together with the goblins. Cristoff agrees for to this for a 60/40 split.

Ka’tau goes to his temple and summons a “planer ally”, a solar for Fhallarghn, god of travels and horizons. He has chosen this deity to help him with getting some clerics from Bahamut to Soro. The solar wants something in return, at first asking the splinter of divinity of in Ka’tau, Ka’tau is not willing to give that up. Eventually they agree to Ka’tau giving up his boots of speed, making shrines to Fallaraghn at all the roads and changing the gate to Soro into a temple for Fhallarghn.
The price is so high since there seems to be a barrier splitting the planet in two. The barrier was made millenia ago, by gods and mortals to keep the sleeping/old god from Arthor. Any travel  between the barriers is extremely hard.

The clerics that arrive take over the temples of Bahamut so that Ka’Tau has time to give back the splinter of divinity to Bahamut.

I have to write the account again, since Ka’Tau has been very sad after we went to the HaugBui.

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Ka’Tay came to my at the guild, he said that he had time to make the shrine for Elhonna. I was very happy to hear that. At the guild we saw Gulrath, he seemed vey bored so we asked him to come along as well in case there were still monsters on the road.

We first had to walk to finley farm. On the road Ka’tau made a very nice symbol. I did not understand why. But it was a really pretty, it looked like a horizon.

From the finley farm we walked further, Ka’tau said that he knew where it was but it took very long, and he seemed confused. At some point he waved with is hands and muttered some words but nothing happened. He may be getting a bit old I think.

A storm came very quickly towards us, so we wanted to go sit under a tree. And there was a tree on a hill. When we were on top of the hill we saw a forest! I thought that it was not there before, but I must have blinked I think. There were more trees there so we went to take cover from the storm there. It was really dry inside which was nice.

A forest that could only be seen when getting close enough. A forest surrounded by a magical induced storm but which had perfectly calm and sunny interior. Magical must be at play.

It was really nice in the forest, with pretty birds, nice leaves, and I felt really calm inside. We walked towards the middle of the small forest. In the middle there was a realllyyy big tree, like bigger than.. the tower in Soro! But the plants near the tree were really sick and dry :(. And there were some holes in the ground. We were really careful but we still fell into the ground.

It was dark but I could still see that there were a lot of ugly creatures. They attacked and we fought and won.

Carefully Ka’tau scoured the ground for traps and holes, but his prodding sadly triggered one of the traps. The darkness underneath revealed 3 hallways, 2 to either side and one towards the tree. Surrounding the party from every side were horrendous monsters. The kruthik are four legged creatures, which each leg ending in a scythe like spikes, a long neck holds a head filled to the brim with needle like teeth, the whole creature is covered with armor plating.
The 20 Kruthik, sensing prey immediately attacked, completely overrunning our heroes. Especially Gulrath was torn apart, standing on his last legs. As soon as the heroes recovered from their shock they laid about them. Ka’tau filling the space with ethereal spirits, Amiri taking the creatures apart with her axe, and Gulrath, sensing his danger, disengaged and retreated from the creatures.

The creatures, still high on their first success continued their attack, but Ka’tau now protected by a sanctuary spell, and Amiri desensitized by her rage took the hits like champs. Gulrath had retreated far enough that the creatures could not reach him. Gulrath, asking his patron for help, flew into the air and flew out of the hole and put down a rope. Ka’Tau and Amiri laid about them, killing with every other blow. Gulrath put down a rope at some point. But the creatures had been so diminished by that point, and Amiri so filled with rage that she stayed down until all of them had been taken down.

But as soon as they had taken down those 20, more came. And the group quickly scampered up on the rope out of the hole again.

Gulrath said he did not want to fight more left, back to Soro. He said that it was to dangerous.

I thought that it might be a good idea to ask a fox for help. So did the ritual GranGran thought me, and we found a fox. He was not very smart, but he knew that it too very long for it to become night here. He also said that the tree was filled with beasts for a long time now. The forest was really calm and nice so I thought there might be a unicorn here. The fox said that it would lead us to the unicorn. But when we were there the unicorn was not there. We promised the fox a bird to make it look for the unicorn.

It took a long time but suddenly there was a unicorn. She said she was elhonna and asked for our help to protect the tree. She also said more, but I did not really understand what.

Taking a rest in the calming forest the noble creature appeared to Amiri and Ka’tau. She declared herself the goddess of woods and elves. Telling the adventures that this was her forest. She could sense the purity in Amiri, and the righteousness of Ka’Tau, and that there help was required.

The opening of the boxes had not only given way to the sleeping god. It had also been responsible for keeping the void, what lie in there, what had made the smaller races flee to this plane in first place, seep into this realm. These creatures of the void, exterminators of all things living, were very dangerous. Some of the gods even thought that it was time for us to flee.. once again.
Right here underneath here was a small right, letting these void creatures seep in. The underside of this tree was filled with the creature, a matriarch, 169 adults and 720 younglings. If we killed the matriarch now new ones would be created, and the rest of them would go crazy and fight each other for dominance.

Of course we said yes, for Elhonna I would do anything. Ka’tau first wanted to cast a spell(word of recall) in Finley so we quickly went back and forth. When we were back we went to tree ready to go underneath the tree. Elhonna magicked us and we became really fast and ran towards the matriarch past all the creatures.

Elhonna had promised all the help that she could give while they were preparing for the assault. She would gather all the forest creatures and attack on one side of the hive, distracting the creatures. A minute after the attack she would appear and “haste” the heroes. Ka’tau had made his own preparation, with large sprinkling of “aid” a “deathward”  and protection with “sanctuary” the pair of heroes went for the hivelord.

The jumped into a hole and immediately and entered a cavern filled to the brim with the evil creatures. Before the beasts had a chance to react Amiri yelled. RUN!. and the two of them went through the darkness, vaulting over, under and sometimes through the creatures. (disengage, dash dash with double movement speed thanks to haste). The beasts tried to attack us, but a lot of their attacks were diverted by the haste, and the rest harmlessly ended on the armor or shields of the heroes.  They headed to a dead end once, but recovered, and headed to the center once again. Climbing up, into a tunnel they were pelted with dozens of attacks, the few attacks that actually hit exposed skin barely registered to Amiri her rage filled mind. The raced, for what seemed like minutes but was actually just 24 seconds, until the reached the center, the place were the giant tree was. On its sides the soil was dug away to the deeper lair where the matriarch was. Trying to go as fast as they could the heroes decided to jump from root to root down. Using knives, nails and whatever at hand they held on to the tree wherever they could. Ka’tau dropped his torch leaving him in darkness, and flailing on his way down. Amiri tried to help, and lit a torch, grabbed on to him. They both did there best but the last few feet they fell. However not enough to hurt these hardened warriors. Their descent had taken up another 18 seconds.

When we were with the matriarch we killed her and tried not to die.

They had entered the final chamber, Amiri yelled out and rushed the matriarch. (disengage, dash, ATTACK!). Hacking at the giant creature with her axe, and taking our huge gashes. Ka’Tau hurried towards us, getting as close as he could.
The matriarch blasted out a spray of poison over them, and took a few swipes. As Amiri went on it which her axe again, the creature took one of its spawn and just ate in right in front of them. Seemingly regenerating as it did so. Ka’tau got a hit in of his own. The spawn closed in on them, as the matriarch, now quite hurt tried to burrow away. Ka’tau yelled “for Bahamut” his hammer infused with divine might (channel divinity) he hit the creature. Stunning it in place (sentinel feat). Amiri seeing her chance, rushed forwards, cut of, first a leg, dodged an attack, got underneath it and split open its abdominal region from front to end. With Amiri covered in goo the creatures all around them went silent..
”tell me when its over” Ka’tau said, melting into the stone around them.

As the haste spell ended and Amiri was stunned all around her the creatures went insane, attacking the nearest thing around them. It was a sight to behold as the half-orc stood her ground, a thing of legend, as hordes and hordes of enemies broke on her axe. Minutes later Ka’tau emerged from the stone, to see Amiri standing. Exhausted, with piles of bodies all around her covered in the ichor that used to fill these creature.

We destroyed all the eggs, and found some gold, a really nice sword and some strange air. Ehlonna was very happy and said that she wanted me to protect this forest always, and that I would feel much better every time I would sleep here.

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We went to the Haugbui afterwards, he had made a really big battle arena with really big picture of it on top of it so that soro could see.
When we  arrived Ka’tau said that he did not have to leave if we won. And he said that he was angry that the haugbui stole his son. The haugbui said that he did not do that. He said that Ka’tau came over and gave his son. Both Ka’tau and the Haugbui said that they did not lie. So someone must have acted like they were Ka’tau, lying to everyone..
The haugbui also said it was not a veitrr, and that it did not want to eat babies. So maybe it was not evil. Also Ka’tau his son said that he liked it with the Haugbui and that he did not want to come back.

So me and Ka’tau did not want to fight, but the Haugbui still wanted to fight because we had made a deal before. Which is I think, a bit strange. But he and Ka’Tau agreed that ka’tau could first find the liar before they fought.

Then we went back home again.