Chapter 9, Part II: Harvesting the Harvestman

The party followed the Harvestman and Professor Pluveria into the ruins of a once vast city.

As you step through the tunnels of the mines and past the debris of the still smoking hole, you find yourselves at the edge of a sprawling underground city. The ceiling in this cavern is hundreds of feet up, hollowed out to fit a once towering and majestic city that has been reduced to little more than rubble. Although you can only really see the shadow of what this city once was, it is still clear that it was once a bustling and beautiful metropolis. At the perimeters of the city's remains, you can see thick poison oozing up against the ruins, pouring in from the ceiling and walls. There is a small section of the center of this city that remains traversable, with only puddles of the poison here and there.

Xerxes tapped into his ability, Kiln's War Wisdom, to discern the weaknesses of the Harvestman, a general of the Order of Righteous Conflict. He learned that the Harvestman, despite his powerful presence, had some key weaknesses.

Meanwhile, Drez and Tagg carefully snuck up on the Harvestman and Pluveria in the center of the ruins of Concordia. Pluveria, a Divine Protector once allied with the party, had fallen under the control of the Harvestman, dominated by the cuffs that had shackled him. Tagg, acting quickly, unleashed the Rope of Entanglement, but it only ensnared one of the Harvestman's mirror images, leaving the real form unharmed.

The battle erupted as the party engaged both the Harvestman and the possessed Pluveria. Nohki, having transformed into a polar bear, tore into the Harvestman with a savage swipe, ripping off his mask to reveal a grotesque, mutilated face underneath. With eerie composure, the Harvestman remarked, "That's not the first mask I've lost, and it won't be the last."

Despite his strange brag, the party pressed on, eventually overwhelming the Harvestman. Tagg delivered the final blow, and as the cuffs binding Pluveria disarmed, the Divine Protector was freed from the Harvestman's control.

In a sudden and terrifying turn, Zigorby the Weaver, an ancient and powerful entity, burst from the ground. Before the party could react, she tore into the defeated Harvestman, dragging his body away and leaving his head. Xerxes had managed to loot the Harvestman's body moments before Zigorby arrived, seizing key items from their fallen foe.

After the battle, the party was approached by Hymarc the Provider. Hymarc explained that Zigorby, who had not shown herself for a long time, still held control over the city. Her army was divided into three factions: the Webweavers, masters of knowledge; the Deftdriders, known for their cunning; and the Ironcarapace, who wielded sheer strength. Hymarc, wearing an amulet that protected him from being enthralled, warned the party of Zigorby's power to dominate minds and control her followers.

Pluveria, weakened from his ordeal but on the party's side, took his shield and transferred his essence into it, vowing to aid them in the struggles ahead.


Completed: September 2024