Session 4: Free Boat, Found Beings Report

After the exhausting events of the previous night, most of the party was spent- now choosing to sleep until around noontime with some on guard. Awakening that time later, the party set to preparing hunting parties to restock food, since the boat’s rations were all which was available- 4 days all said. Yaza went to hunt beasts while Othyrus and Oradyol built traps for the smaller animals. Rhomod and Thelastor desired to hunt eels in the river, but first maneuvered the check the condition of the boat. Regarding the hunting, Yaza managed to slay a boar with the sword, since it charged too close for arrows, during which she sustained some wounds. Othyrus and Oradyol were made fools by some Duyorti who kept cutting the strings of their traps, at least until Othyrus caught one of them and scared it near to death. They scampered away at that point. Rhomod and Thelastor had the most interesting venture. Reaching the boat, they saw four children playing with oars like lances, an armored Duyor keeping watch, and three upon the boat doing some “work” upon it. The pair rushed back to gather others.

Rhomod and Thelastor returned around the time others were returning from their hunting ventures. They explained the situation at the boat- Duyor adults and children were having merry with the boat and its supplies. Gathering a small warband would be wise to run them off without resistance. The others agreed to that, but there was general uncertainty on how to approach- with violence and destroy the Duyor, negotiation, scaring them off with deception. In their conversations they collectively remembered or noted how the Duyor, in their antiquity, are fearful of Acolitus and his signs. Who knew something about using Eshara? Xeyesh, yet he was not among those present, nor was Arelastod for that matter. He would necessary to cast some Eshanic signs and scare away the Duyor. Thelastor volunteered to search for them, then the party could depart.

Thelastor made his way down into the viod’s lower level, expecting to find Xeyesh and Arelastod staring at some wall carvings or nonsense, but did not. Instead, he found an open hole, about 10 by 10 feet leading downward into something unknown. He called for Xeyesh and Arelastod. Below, Xeyesh and Arelastod heard him while descending, looked to one another, and reasoned that he wished them to undertake some task either dangerous or uninteresting to them. They therefore agreed that “they didn’t hear him” and continued onward. Thelastor followed, part from interest and part worry that his companions perished somewhere in this depth. Yet, the smoke slowed his progress considerably.

Meanwhile, Rhomod and the others waiting were growing impatient. At this rate the Duyor would be gone altogether- nothing gained but an opportunity lost. They chose to depart, but brought four of the sailors, including Getas Bastigos, with them. Marching through the woods for perhaps 40 minutes, they heard the sounds of activity on the wind. Qetukras was dispatche to investigate. He crept through the brush and saw five children, one armored adult, and three adults on the boat. Good so far. Yet the youth heard his rustling and scampered over with curious interest. Qetukris thought fast, and played himself as some evil agent of Acolitus, whom the Duyor feared greatly, and thus the youth were distracted in terror and interest. In this moment, the others devised a plan- Oradyol would emerge boastful and proud as another agent of Acolitus while the party roared loudly and shook the trees. Everything was in position to execute the plan.

Oradyol brush from the undergrowth with a great shout and the others shook the trees and rattled their weapons. The children immediately fled away while the three Duyor upon the boat took cover upon the deck. Only the armored Duyor remained, who pointed his weapon toward Oradyol in the fashion of a challenge. Oradyol couldn’t turn him down. They squared off and began fighting. The two were quite equally matched, and thus they struck back and forth, dealing heavy wounds upon one another. The Duyor’s armor was shattered and Oradyol’s clothes destroyed. Rhomod, Othyrus, and all the others watched on with arrested interest, making no movements to intervene. In time, however, the tide seemed to be turning toward the Duyor, and thus Yaza loosed an arrow against the Duyor. This broke the spell, and the others swiftly slaughtered the now-unarmored Duyor. Othyrus took the sailors upon the boat, using the damaged oars, and told the other Duyor to get lost.

Back down in the depths, Arelastod and Xeyesh arrived at the bottom, being a thick muddy slick. Arelastod did not want to descend for ruining his shoes, but Xeyesh tugged him so that he plunged into the mud, ruining his whole outfit. The place around them was half buried, so that any details or items upon the ground were completely lost. They stumbled through this place, moving west, until they saw strange figures shrouded in the smoke. They were oily, almost waxy in appearance, but generally like other olundi in shape save for certain mutations. A group of them surrounded a dark pillar of smoke. Before their eyes the dark pillar manifested into another of their number, to which they all greeted it. Xeyesh in unsatiable curiosity now moved forward with Arelastod in tow. The strange beings with dark, oily flesh like candle wax looked to Xeyesh and Arelastod, and in their broken tongue exclaimed “Vozukri” or One of the Heavens in the ancient Eshanic tongue.