A New Horizon Sessions 51 - 60

Session 51 The party made tentative plans to seek out Matriarch Tyrtryn's daughter in the Nadalan Jungles first. With that heading set, Marshal recommended they sail out as soon as possible and to wrap up any business in the city. And so the party went out to address some loose ends. In particular, Flea wanted to find her now-wanted comrades from the Hellfire Legion.
Along the way, they encountered none other than the Cleric sitting idly in an outdoor café. Upon speaking to him, it was revealed that he was following Rowland's Troupe; the rival adventurers the party had encountered on a few occasions now. The Cleric (who was momentarily very confused as to why the party was talking about a severed head in a box), had reason to believe the adventurers were working with Triumvirates masquerading as Aonians in order to disrupt the latter's operations for currently unclear reasons. Indeed, from the Listening Charm he had planted on them, it is learned that they are indeed waiting on more work from a "shifty priest." The party then moved to speak with them to ascertain if the Troupe was perhaps following them or working for Mul, but this did not appear to be the case. Returning to the Cleric, he expressed interest in the revelation that Mul had been disowned by the Assembly and made it seem as if he knew him on some level. But with other things to attend to, the party bid farewell to the Cleric, though not before leaving him a Sending Stone to keep in touch, something he promised he is famously bad at doing.
At the Cleric's recommendation, the party stopped by the alchemy shop Mana Riqsisqa to sample the "experimental elixirs." Today's brew caused their hair to grow three-times in length. The proprietor, Agatha, then offered to buy the excess hair off of them to use as potion ingredients, which she swore up and down would not be nefarious in nature. Lir relented in exchange for first dibs of the potion she created with it: a potion of heroism. As the party left, they passed by a strange pair of customers entering: a relatively plain human woman accompanied by a towering man in head-to-toe plate mail wielding enchanted weapons. Curiosity got the better of them and they attempted to listen in on their conversation. Unfortunately, the armored man noticed Zuno's weasel familiar and "politely" handed it back. Throwing subtlety to the wind, Flea simply barged in and inquired about the magic gear. The woman, Sora, revealed that she was an artificer and the man, William, was something akin to her bodyguard. Their purpose and who they worked for, however, she could not elaborate on.
Moving on, the party encountered a kobold attempting to cast some sort of spell on a nearby Custodian. Whatever his intent, the spell clearly failed as the Custodian began wildly screeching and convulsing. Bluecloaks quickly arrived on the scene and chased the kobold, who Sirah speedily apprehended. The party flexed their new SABR status to keep the kobold from being arrested and instead questioned him themselves. The kobold introduced himself as simply a curious soul trying to get to the bottom of the mystery of the Custodians and Threshold at large. The party heard him out and agreed their was definitely something to what he was saying. Zuno tried a few spells of his own on the Custodian, detecting its thoughts and detecting magic, which revealed an entirely empty head devoid of thoughts and a strong divination aura about it. With nothing else to go on at this time, the party continued on their journey to the Seven Cups, a dingy tavern where Flea's friends were said to be holing up in.
Indeed, with a sufficient bribe and assurance that they were friendly, the barkeep of the Seven Cups revealed that the duo were indeed present in the inn. The party confronted them and learned that, with their mission to retrieve the circlet all but dead in the water (confirmed to them by Flea revealing she had encountered the current owner of the circlet and his intended voyage to the Island of Fog), they had opted to establish ties with Warren Flint. In effort of establishing that relationship, they agreed to aid in his drug empire's expansion into Threshold, but they botched the job at the last minute. If Flea was willing to help them, then they would surely pass on to their leader, and Flea's "adoptive father," that she was helpful for once. The party discussed the merits of this at length, with Nix in particular trying to push Flea towards seeing that she was bigger than these people who clearly scorned her. But Flea remained firm in her desire to prove herself to the General/Daddy, and so reluctantly, the party (except for Lir, who would not aid in the moving of drugs distilled from magic dolphins) agreed to aid them…
XP earned: 270 each
Session 52 Snapping out of a long quasi-meditative trance, Sirah did her best to try and talk down Flea from pursuing the drug setup, offering some insights into her own upbringing and feelings of inadequacy. But even so, Flea persisted, and Sirah opted out of the operation. On her way back, she encountered an Aonian Famine Knight running down a dragonborn boy whom he accused of stealing from the church. The Knight's behavior was overtly aggressive and the boy seemed more confused than guilty; Sirah decided instead to flaunt her new SABR status to shoo off the knight. Recalling what the Cleric had said earlier about Aonian imposters, she followed the man back to a secluded door where he uttered a passphrase in a language none of the party could identify. Not wishing to push it too much, she left a Listening Charm near the door and returned to the Scabbard.
Meanwhile, the party was able to schmooze their way past the bouncers of the First Star Casino with their contraband in hand. Before they could make the drop though, they ran into the enigmatic merchant Mercutio who offered Flea an alternative plan of action: he had in his posession a circlet that appeared to be quite similar, if not identical, to the one that the Hellfire Legion sought. In exchange, Mercutio asked for an act of service: a simple delivery of a box to a fellow SABR. After much deliberation, Flea agreed, and Mercutio marked her with a supernatural glyph so she would be known as his messenger. However, she figured they might as well drop off the drugs while they were here. They found the bartender they were supposed to do the handoff with, who requested, in Thieves' Cant (which Flea was able to pick up enough of to understand), they pose as deliverymen and drop it in the kitchen. It was a simple enough task, and with that, they were home free.
The party returned to Warin and Mudmug at the Seven Cups to report on the success and also reveal the circlet, which the pair believed to be genuine. Upon Nix's urging, they "called in" to their leader via Sending Stone to report. Only after Flea requested again that they mention her aid did they send another message, and according to Warin, the only response from the General was that he was displeased that Flea had left without leave. Indeed, Warin even let Flea send a message of her own to the General, who merely responded that insubordination would not be tolerated and that she was to return immediately. With that, Flea finally saw the light and turned on her fellows, drawing a weapon on them when they demanded she hand over the circlet so they could leave. The fight was brief, with Warin and Mudmug merely trying to escape by way of their third story window. Flea's fury got the best of them though, and they were incapacitated and handed over to the Bluecloaks. And thus a new chapter began for Flea and everyone was proud of her, with the exception of Lir, who was too busy imbibing of pork and ale to join in the occasion.
Back at the Scabbard, the party chatted briefly with a fellow SABR who gave them some information on both Mul and the fellow operative Flea had been tasked with making a delivery too. In the same vein, curiosity won over them and they opened the delivery parcel to reveal a Rod of the Pact Keeper, which Nix felt extraordinarily tempted to wield in the meantime, though she ultimately thought better of it. With that, they took an off-day as they rested and awaited some of their commissions to complete before setting off.
The next day, on the way to pick up Lir's enhanced armor and Flea's Lightning Launcher, the party encountered someone on the street wearing an identical mask to Sirah, who panicked and hid. The party asked what was the matter and she all but immediately crumbled; revealing that she had been framed for murder and had fled the monastery where she was raised. Nix, Zuno, and Flea questioned the monk to ensure she wasn't actively seeking Sirah and felt confident that she was not; she was merely on her Wandering and seeking out people in need of aid. With that bullet dodged, the party picked up their gear and headed to the docks to depart for New Providence where they would continue on foot to the Nadalan Jungles. Before they could leave, they were met at the gangway by an entourage from New Providence: Machi Navelli, a Crown Mage, and Zuno's dad. The former had brought a Trunk of Transpondence as a congratulatory gift and handy means of trading gear while sailing the seas, and the latter had come in the hopes of accompanying his son and acting as a tutor for the boy. All of these were accepted, and the party set sail.
During the 8 day journey, Nix and fellow changeling Zam chatted a bit, with the former expressing interest in the latter not adopting a "form." Zam explained that where she was from, changelings were free to be themselves. Indeed, she hailed from a secretive enclave of changelings called the Clandestine, something Nix was quite interested in learning more about. Uraka, the now ex-Bluecloak, and Sirah also seemed to hit it off and exchanged some playful banter.
One manticore sighting later, the party docked in New Providence. However, not all was well in their home turf. In their absence, the "League of Keen Eyes" and their shapeshifter hunt seemed to have been formally adopted by the Governess. Patrols and checkpoints were scattered throughout the city looking to discover doppelgangers hiding amongst them. For now, this has not proved too much of a problem for Nix or Zam, and with any luck, after spending a restful night at the Roasted Chestnut, they will be able to be on their way to the Nadalan Jungle…
XP earned: 1000 each
Session 53 Zuno utilized a new spell he learned from his dad, Nystul's Magic Aura, to hide Zam from the glyphs primed to trigger on shapeshifters, and with Nix simply hiding in her bottle, the party's full entourage was able to exit New Providence without alerting any of the doppelganger hunters (and politely avoided goading a protest into a full blown riot on their way out).
After a few days travel through the Soros Highlands, they reached the Nadalan Jungles. Another full day following the beaten path of the Archanic's Expedition, they reached their forward base camp to find it in a state of disarray. They spoke to the expedition's leader, Strezor Ozaywn, who explained that upon discovering the ruins of a tower, they were waylaid by dragon cultists and the gold dragon they followed. Since then, these cultists have hampered their every movement and even made a few attacks on their base camp. What's more, the Matriarch's daughter, Luerylla, was among those snatched up by the dragon.
In the morning, the party travelled via Axe Beaks kindly lent by the expedition to the tower ruin to see if they couldn't pick up on some clues. They found signs of the battle, including the dragon attack, but no signs of the dragon. Investigating the lookout tower, they found that it had already been thoroughly ransacked. Curiously, it seemed that whomever had been here and cleared out writings and records and left valuables behind. What's more, they hadn't grabbed everything; Zuno was able to find some tucked away lockboxes that still held maps of the surrounding area. These maps pointed to several other towns (now ruins, naturally) as well as a complex at the foot of the eastern mountains labeled as "where the essence of death's dispersal is held," which other writings found by the expedition led them to believe the Atotakan's possessed some kind of fountain of youth.
Also during their investigation, the party discovered a small, metallic bird construct watching them. Unsure of its intentions, they captured it and held it in Nix's Bag of Holding. This proved a near-deadly mistake as when they opted to camp within the tower's cellar for the night, it's master came for it.
Sirah took first watch and, as night fell, was alerted to the sound of a panther creeping down the steps. She hid and watched as it prowled around the camp, seemingly probing the Tiny Hut Zuno conjured. Detecting more intelligence than a mere animal, Sirah spoke to it, inquiring as to what it was doing. In response, the panther took the form of an elegant elf and answered that he was searching for his bird. Through some back and forth, Sirah realized that this could very well be the gold dragon having taken a different form. The elf continued to warn that the expedition had brought shadows into this land and that what he was doing was for the safety of all. To that end, he could not help them find the girl that he had taken, as doing so would endanger the secrets held within the jungle. The elf then left, bidding them rest well and warning that if there would not be a second conversation if they persisted within the jungle.
In the morning, the party discussed what to do about this at length, and ultimately decided they wanted another chance to speak with the mysterious figure. Having identified that the bird had a telepathic connection with its master, the party used it to request an audience. Sure enough, the gold dragon appeared again, this time in the full splendor of its true form. It explained to the party that they were at risk of stumbling into an "information hazard," one that Luerylla and the others had already become aware of. The party insisted that they just needed specific information from the girl, and that perhaps the dragon would be willing to simply play the part of messenger. Eventually, the dragon relented and agreed on the condition that the party would hunt down the black dragon that had been encroaching on its territory. He warned that it was surprisingly elusive and difficult to track, but also assured them that if it were to hide somewhere that the party should not venture (again, because of the information hazard), the gold dragon and his followers would be able to flush it out. The party agreed, and with that, prepared themselves to venture back into the jungles for a spot of dragon hunting…
XP earned: 700 each
Session 54 The party made their way southward searching for signs for a black dragon's passage. They came across a rather swampy portion of the jungle but found it instead to be the domain of a hydra. Initially taken aback by the monster's ferocity, they were able to dispatch it with relative ease thanks to Nix's firebolts preventing the beast from regenerating.
By the days end, they reached the ruins of Koatokoyan but found it to be deserted despite the expedition leader mentioning they'd spotted a great deal of dragon cultists there. After some searching though, they did find the cultists. They were just dead. Following the signs of battle led them to the foot of a great temple whose doors had been barred. Zuno misty stepped beyond the doors to find that they had been blocked by an immovable rod. What's more, Sirah spotted heavy, booted footprints heading into the temple, but not leaving. Carefully, the party crept into the catacombs and discovered that the magically armored "Billy" was present with three other identically armored individuals. Having met previously, Bill spoke relatively freely with them, but made it clear that he wouldn't reveal who he was working for or what they were looking for; only that they had laid claim to what was interred within the crypts. However, the party's mentioning that they were hunting a dragon piqued their curiosity, and they agreed to aid the party in their hunt once they were done in the ruins. A bit bummed they wouldn't get to plunder the ruin but happy for the assistance against a dragon, the party accepted and made camp outside the ruin.
During the night, Sirah watched a nameless treant wander by, drawn by the light of Flea's experimental gadget. It helpfully informed Sirah that he had "smelled" a dragon to the south. Additionally, the armored company left the ruins unnoticed some time in the night, but otherwise, the party rested without incident. In the morning, they found the armored company at their camp to the east where two of them were preparing to take off on their hippogriff mounts to deliver what the lifted from the crypts while the other two remained to help hunt the dragon. To aid in the endeavor, Bill offered up 3 Arrows of Dragon Slaying and a bow for Sirah to use.
The group then travelled southward through the jungles for about half a day before encountering the remains of a battle between dragon cultists and what was clearly the black dragon (indicated by a stretch of land fully eaten away by potent acid). Marshal's primal awareness abilities confirmed that there was a dragon in the area. Nix got up above the tree line and indeed spotted signs of a dragon's passage. Following in that direction as quietly as possible, the party discovered a looming black dragon busy devouring a water buffalo. However, the party did not intend to engage it quite yet, for this was a job for ambassador Lir.
Lir approached the dragon, whom they noted was carrying a dragon-sized sword of some kind, and opened a dialog. The dragon seemed receptive to talking, and introduced himself as Naarmundus. He was raised by monks back in Archaios and traveled to the new world in search of opportunity. He had scrapped with Yuvinjunaar already and was proven to be outmatched. For this reason, he was amenable to a team up with the party, so long as they proved they had the chops to stand up to a dragon. Naarmundus proposed a "friendly" sparring match, positing that if they could stand up to a few solid blows from each other, they had a chance against the gold dragon. The party had a brief ethical dilemma over teaming up with a traditionally "evil" dragon against a traditionally "good" dragon, but ultimately they agreed that in this particular instance, the gold dragon was making itself an obstacle and inadvertently aiding Mul in his goals (Marshal also expressed concern over letting his hostages waste away in the dragon's lair). And so, the party agreed to Naarmundus' duel and were able to hold their own against him; even drawing blood from the surprisingly dexterous dragon. With their team-up established, all that needed to be done now was come up with a plan to lure Yuvinjunaar into a trap…
XP earned: 1,200 each
Session 55 The party, along with Naarmundus and the two armored warriors, made plans to lure Yunvinjunaar back to the ruins of Koatokoyan so they could ambush him in a relatively confined space within the old temple. Bill and his comrade scouted ahead on their hippogriff mounts and confirmed that more cultists had arrived on the scene, along with the dragon's sentinel birds.
As the party travelled back to the ruin, they came across a cultist hunting party pursuing a pair of giant boars. The cultists called out for aid as the boars hurdled past them. Zuno took an opportunity attack to bonk one and was surprised to see the boar transform into a hobgoblin, who hissed a few words of warning "you shouldn't be here" before taking on the form of a jungle cat and running into the trees. Druids. Despite the hunters shouts, the party opted not to pursue any farther than that.
As another dusk fell, the party reached the ruins. Passing through a cemetery, they realized that the remains of all the coffins they peered in held daggers embedded in their chests, alluding to some kind of blood ritual or some such. Unsure what to make of it, Flea nicked one of the daggers, which the party was fairly certain wasn't cursed.
Within the ruins of the town, the party encountered more of the cultists, who greeted the party and recognized them as agents of Yuvinjunaar. Using the Rod of Rulership, Zuno urged them to "pursue Naarmundus, who was spotted to the south." All but one of them resisted the Rod's influence, and so he simply succumbed to peer pressure instead and joined his fellows in the magically-induced wild goose chase. From there, they made themselves apparent to the metal bird watching them and made their way to the temple. There, they found more of the cultists, who informed them they had a party within the crypts "on business" and that while the party was welcome to camp in the ruins of the town, they were not permitted in the temple. After some back and forth, the party decided the simplest course of action was to dispatch the cultists guarding the door and take up positions inside as they awaited Yuvinjunaar's wrath. In addition, they used an Immovable Rod to block the doors into the crypts to seal inside the cultists still down there.
True enough, Yuvinjunaar arrived in a fury just a few hours later. A fell knocking on the great doors rang out before they opened and a black panther slinked in, followed by another, and then another; a whole menagerie of jungle creatures milled into the temple as a smokescreen for Yuvinjunaar, who chastised the group for their decision. Despite the betrayal, he still offered one last chance at mercy: "leave now with your lives." Obviously, the party didn't take the offer, and the battle began.
Zuno revealed the dragon with a Sickening Radiance spell that melted away the random jungle creatures and left Yuvinjunaar's disguised form. Not to be deterred, the dragon took on his true form as the armored warriors on hippogriff-back rushed in, followed by Naarmundus. The battle was fierce, and most of the group found themselves stricken with supernatural fear, but ultimately, Yuvinjunaar was severely outmanned here. Ultimately, he was forced to flee. At the party's urging, a bloodied Naarmundus took up Zuno and Flea and gave chase. Yuvinjunaar's magic made it so that he was initially outpacing them, but Zuno cast Haste on their dragon ally to close the gap. Realizing he would not be able to outrun his pursuers, Yuvinjunaar took a hefty gamble: he turned about and cast Hold Person on Zuno, forcing his Haste spell to fail and cause all three of them to plummet out of the sky. And with that, Yuvinjunaar narrowly escaped his demise.
The party regrouped to lick their wounds: Flea and Lir had been taken to deaths door. Bill's hippogriff had been barbecued (and Bill himself was barely standing). Realizing that they would not get another opportunity to jump Yuvinjunaar like this again, the party tentatively made plans to seek out new allies in the form of the witches that resided in the flooded ruins to the northeast…
XP earned: 2,300 each
Session 56 The party traveled on dragonback to the northern marshes to petition the witches that lived there for aid. Despite the boggy surroundings inhabited by rot-scented dino-cows (which Naarmundus commented can be quite tasty despite the smell), the witches proved surprisingly (suspiciously?) welcoming. What's more, two of the witches were recognized by the party: Lucille, the fortuneteller from New Providence and Tanya, the sea witch the party encountered during the early days of their career. Ultimately, the witches offered to lend their might against Yuvinjunaar if Naarmundus agreed to swear an oath of servitude to them. Naarmundus was understandably uneasy about such an arrangement and the party respected his concerns. Instead, they travelled southward to see if they couldn't find any druids poking around the Heart of Nadala.
On the way, they crossed the paths of a group of cultists flying on dragonnels towards the mountains. The party intercepted them in the hopes of both weakening Yuvinjunaar's forces and prying any new information they could from the lizardfolk. Unfortunately, their one captive proved stubborn. Only through a combination of mindreading and interrogation did they learn that the dragon's lair possessed magically concealed side entrances, though he did not know where they were, as he had never actually been there. With that, and the lizardfolk's insistence that he was compelled to keep fighting them as the party had revealed they knew the location of Yuvinjunaar's lair, the party dispatched of him and continued on their way.
Late into the night, the group arrived at the Heart of Nadala, a massive, ancient tree that Naarmundus had visited a few times since arriving. Surely enough, their antics attracted a druid before long; the archdruid Sacha, who inquired as to the party's purpose. After an in-depth discussion, Sacha believed they could help return the forest to its status quo and agreed to aid the party in sneaking into Yuvinjunaar's lair by calling for an audience with the dragon. The party spent some time in the shade of the great tree while they awaited an update from the druid. During this time, they sampled the vibrant-colored fruits from the tree and found they bestowed a number of bizarre magical effects (mostly a bioluminescent glow based on the frequency such an effect). Around midday, the druids returned and reported that Yuvinjunaar agreed to their meeting but had summoned them to meet at the pavilions outside his lair, meaning he would remain close by. Despite this, the party agreed this was their best chance to sneak in and grab Luerylla.
Under the cover of night, the party made their way up the mountain path to the old facility where Yuvinjunaar laired. After a couple attempts, Zuno was able to discover a magically concealed cave with his Gem of Seeing, which also revealed a magical ward beneath the illusion. At this time, they also witnessed Yuvinjunaar himself emerge from beneath the waterfall to meet with the druids. Nix was able to dispel the glyph blocking the way and the party progressed through the fog-filled cave where they found themselves in the dragon's sleeping quarters. Once inside, Zuno made Flea, Marshal, and Sirah invisible so they could do some scouting, in addition to sending long!Mike out as well. They discovered a patrol of cultists in the northern passage and an armored fire elemental patrolling the treasure gallery to the west. The invisible trio snuck past the elemental and descended a sheer drop on Nix's flying broom. There, they found another heavy door, but upon attempting to open it, a magical Symbol was triggered and the area was filled with a deadly necrotic aura. What's more, the elemental was alerted to the sound and moved to investigate the source…
XP earned: 800 each
Session 57 Flea, Sirah, and Marshal snuck their way back past the fire myrmidon who continued to search for the cause of the magical trap's trigger. Unfortunately, it opted to backtrack and check the sleeping chamber next door where the other half of the party was discovered unawares. Fortunately for them, they were able to dispatch the myrmidon relatively quickly, which also dispelled its summoned support. With that, the whole party went to investigate the treasury hall to see what had prompted such a potent defense. Nix dispelled the still active Symbol glyph, and this time around, Flea realized that there was another door again concealed by a magical illusion. Opting to investigate the hidden door first, the party discovered a large, dark warehouse-like chamber filled with large metal spheres. They poked and prodded at them and fiddled with the key slot mechanism that each had on its face, but were largely unable to discern their function or purpose beyond Sirah surmising that these could be the "product" that this facility fabricated like how the volcanic facility they encountered in their battle against Iron Eye produced those mechanical bodies.
The party then made their way back across the hall to the other chamber where they found something much more eye-catching: the dragon's treasure hoard. However, before they could let the child-like glee of Christmas morning overtake them, Lir warned them that he'd heard tale of dragon's having a powerful connection with their treasure. Were they to abscond with anything, it was likely Yuvinjunaar would know. And so much to their sorrow, the party left the treasure be for now (with plans to return with Luerylla once they freed her, grab everything they could carry, and use their teleporation scroll to get the hell out of there).
From there, Flea, Sirah, Zuno, and Marshal snuck deeper into the lair while Nix and Lir stayed behind. The stealth team snuck their way past patrols in the gallery and main hall where they discovered a yawning fissure emitting a pale, yellow glow. Even approaching the fissure imparted a feeling of some kind of cold, magnetic tug. Deciding it would behoove them to stay well away from that, they kept to the walls and took the opportunity to duck into the apartments wing when another patrol exited the area. There, they were able to snag a lone, unaware lizardfolk and used the Suggestion spell to get him to spill the beans on where the prisoners were being kept. Meanwhile, Lir and Nix witnessed a group of Mul's agents following a beguiled lizardfolk into the lair.
The stealth team finally found their way to where Luerylla was being kept and found it guarded by a bulked up lizardfolk wearing golden scale mail and flanked by fire elementals. Zuno was able to successfully hypnotize them with a Hypnotic Pattern spell and Flea was able to swiftly pick the lock. With that, they were able to pop in, grab Luerylla and the three other archaeologists, and scram before the hypnosis wore off on the guards outside. On their way back, they spotted Mul's group and took a wide berth around them. Just as it seemed like they were in the clear, Yuvinjunaar returned from his conversation with the druids. He spoke briefly to one of his cultists before retiring to his sleeping chambers.
Via sending stone, the party planned to make their exit through the treasure room, with Lir and Nix making their way there to avoid being spotted by the returning dragon. The stealth team waited for Yuvinjunaar to settle in before making the attempt to sneak by into the treasury hall. Unfortunately, their wards were not quite quiet enough despite Marshal's Pass Without a Trace spell. Yuvinjunaar awoke in a rage and engaged the party.
The battle was fierce; Yuvinjunaar had abandoned all pretenses of mercy and was determined to squash the party, who quickly realized that getting to the treasure hoard and creating a teleportation was a loosing proposition. Luckily for them, Naarmundus charged onto the scene before things got too dicey. Nix and Lir were momentarily knocked out by a blast of fire breath, but Sirah was able to get them back on their feet. With Naarmundus taking the bulk of Yuvinjunaar's fury, the party was able to slowly whittle the gold dragon down, with Nix ultimately delivering the killing blow. The dragon's final words were "you have no idea what you've unleashed…" With that, the party regrouped and made their way to the hoard to grab what they could before making their way out once and for all…
XP earned: 4,050 each
Session 58 The party hunkered down in the treasure hoard chamber for a time to identify magic items and allow Lir's Dragon's Wrath Sword to steep in the unstable magic of the hoard. Meanwhile, Nix and Naarmundus led the arriving cultists on a merry chase away from the hoard. However, not all the cultists took the bait. Indeed, a large group of them were overheard making their way into the "ballroom." Not wanting to stick around to find out what they were doing, the party fled. A wise decision it seemed, as during their retreat they experienced a sharp crack, a flash of blue light, and a momentary sense of overwhelming dread on their way out. However, back and regrouped on the ship, curiosity won out. With the last of their magic, they sent an invisible Marshal back to scout out what happened. He returned to report the vast majority of the spheres had "popped" and nothing remained of the cultists but scorched piles of arms and armor. Luerylla was able to provide additional context regarding the lair; that it was once a facility that "mined" the remains of an ancient topaz dragon (who's remains still radiated a lethal necrotic aura). Indeed, "the essence of death's dispersal" seemed to refer to the distribution of death, not the removal of it as the expedition had believed. All this together led to the conclusion that the great secret Yuvinjunaar died protecting was an arsenal of highly destructive bombs.
But for better or for worse, the party had freed Luerylla, and once everyone had a moment to decompress, the questions began. They learned that Luerylla's mother had long had a working relationship with Mul, who Luerylla described as shrewd and ruthless, but always working for the good of the Assembly. She also found it puzzling that her mother could have fallen under the spell of Mul, who by all accounts was a lesser spellcaster than the Matriarch. She had not heard of the mind worms, but was greatly troubled by the vision the party had received from the monolith. She believed it to be a warning about some kind of cataclysm, one that she believed had been the death of many great civilizations in the past, including the likes of Antecea of Archaios. What's more, she believed that the message was broken and garbled due to a lack of cultural understanding the intended recipients of the Atotakah would possess. This could be what Mul was searching the Island of Fog for. And so with that, the party had their next heading.
En route to the mythical Island of Fog, Flea had a heart to heart with Marshal as well as began developing plans for some kind of incendiary weapon, Nix noticed some minor red flags with her Efreeti patron, and Zuno noticed that his dad was spending an awful lot of time with Luerylla, ostensibly "just" to help her rebuild her lost spellbook. Then, about a day away from their destination, they encountered a ship to ship battle in progress between an elven ship flying a SABR flag and a jet black pirate ship that was spewing what appeared from a distance to be strange birds onto the elven ship. Closer inspection revealed the assailants of The Devil's Delight to be actual devils. The party boarded to assist and slew Captain Hazrebel, a bone devil wearing a pirate hat.
The captain of the elven ship, Elarus Sunwish, was grateful for the aid, that is until he noticed the mark on Flea's hand. Indeed, this was the intended recipient of the box Mercutio had given to Flea in exchange for his aid previously. Elarus proved reticent to receive the package and ultimately only claimed ownership of it when Flea snuck it into his bag. The party pressed him for answers on who Mercutio was and what deal Elarus had made with him, but the elf was physically unable to reveal any information beyond that there was, in fact, a deal made between them.
With that, the party continued to sail on, and roughly a day later, they saw the twin mountains of the Island of Fog jutting out from above a veil of white mist…
XP earned: 1,500 each
Session 59 The party took a moment to poke and prod the curtain of fog that enshrouded the island beyond. Lir found that the barrier extended beneath the water in the form of a curtain of silt and murk. What's more, his divine sense revealed a strong sense of desecration from within and beyond it.
Despite all the strong signs encouraging them to turn back (including the "Sea" pushing them away when Lir prayed for guidance), the party needed to pursue Mul across the veil. On Marshal's suggestion, the party deployed from the ship's ferry (along with Uraka) with the plan of communicating what was beyond via sending stone. Failing that, the Falling Star would follow in after them if more than 30 minutes past without hearing anything. And so the party made their crossing.
Indeed, once on the far side of the fog wall, their Sending Stone with Marshal failed to send its message. Along the rocky outcroppings and rough shore, there were countless wrecked ships, including a fairly intact Atotakan steamship. The party also discovered a recently docked Maqanan sail boat, but there was no sign of its owners. With no contact with their ship, the party left signs as best they could and then went to explore the steamship. Within, they found the remnants of Atotakan weaponry (including torpedoes and some sort of firearm) that Flea gleefully claimed to study later. They discovered a few minor magic items and spent "fuel rods" whose mechanisms alluded the party. Most chillingly, they found a captain's log whose final entries painted a grim picture of the haunted nature of the island and referenced a "General Azuma."
Not wanting to be caught outdoors at night, the party opted to set camp within the old steamship. A wise decision, as a necrotic tempest swept across the coast as night fell. However, their sleep did not go fully uninterrupted. While Zuno was on watch, he had the chilling (literally) realization that his Tiny Hut spell had vanished. The party slowly awoke and began to search for what might have caused the spell to end prematurely. They did not have to search far, as a figure revealed itself from the gloom: a tall, imposing man wearing a draconic headdress. He claimed to be "checking in on his new neighbors" and explained that they were now trapped here, same as everyone else. He danced around the question as to whether or not he knew where Mul is, and finally, he informed them that whatever their past allegiances, motives, or goals for coming to the Island of Fog, they now served the land. More specifically, he, King Azuma of Tenochtlan, was the Land.
Using his vampiric gaze while they talked, Azuma beguiled Nix, Lir, and Uraka. He bid them all kneel, and when the whole party acquiesced, he expressed disappointment, followed by excitement when Sirah and Zuno expressed defiance, followed by outright exhilaration when Flea drew a weapon on him. Azuma flew into battle and quickly seized Flea before she could fire and bit her, grabbing Zuno as well in quick succession. Sirah and Zuno were able to land a few hits, but it became quickly clear that what damage he sustained was almost instantly being dissipated. It quickly became clear that the party was on the back foot, but fortunately for them, Azuma withdrew his attack when Flea produced the mysterious holy symbol she'd been carrying around. For a brief moment, the vampire recoiled as if he recognized the sigil, but quickly burst out laughing when it clicked what was going on. As he went to leave, he congratulated the party for having a backbone after all and gave a cryptic promise that they'd be seeing each other again soon…
XP earned: 900 each
Session 60 The party made their way into the Ghostwood and shortly encountered a wagon driven by Lakuna hobgoblins with none other than Marshal in tow, who had escaped a brutal attack on the HNS Falling Star when they tried to dock on the east side of the island (the fog seemed to have diverted them well away from where the party landed). Also present within the wagon was the fortune teller Amaru Cahua, who told the party (the abridged version of) the Curse of Azuma and performed a traditional Maqanan Fire Reading to help them find tools needed to help fight him, pointing towards a source of knowledge concealed within a drowned village, a powerful holy relic hidden within a shrine to the Sun Prince, a blade of sunlight stashed in a wizard's tower, an ally in the form of "evil's bride," and Azuma himself to be encountered "in the tomb of a man he envied above all." She also revealed what she knew of Mul, but her memory was clouded on the matter, though the party was able to learn that it was her and her people that brought him to the island no more than a month ago. With that, she informed them that the town of Pikari was nearby and that they were always welcome at her people's camp.
The party found their way to Pikari without incident but found the reclusive people were highly retiscent to let strangers into their town, especially ones who were self-proclaimed enemies of Azuma. However, the party more-or-less threatened their way in, and the town elder allowed them leave of the village in the hopes of avoiding a physical confrontation. He suggested that they seek shelter in the Temple of Cocoliloc and showed them the blessed pool on the northside of the village, which the party found to possess some sort of presence and offered minor healing properties.
At the temple, the party encountered bizarre mongrelfolk who took them to meet the Auger, who was pleasant enough to speak with but seemed to be somewhat deranged. Lir's divine sense also seemed to indicate the man was some sort of celestial. Regardless, the party spent the night in the delapidated barracks of the eastern wing and did their best to block out the gibbering din of the ravenous mongrelfolk and horrifying flesh golem below. In the morning, they encountered the Auger teaching what was revealed to be a far more intricate flesh golem the finer points of etiquette. Indeed, the Auger believed he could lift Azuma's curse if he would only accept this construct as his bride. He even beseeched the party track down a suitable wedding gown for her and that he would be indebted to them were they to find one. Disturbed by this but otherwise deciding it was none of their concern, they departed and made their way to the nearby lake tower to the east, stopping briefly to examine a cursed spyglass (the world viewed through it appeared to be engulfed in a horrible storm) found lost on the road.
At the tower, the party found an abandoned covered wagon locked tight with some sort of trap, which they opted to mess with later. The tower itself was sealed with a strange disc that Zuno was able to sus out indicated some sort of series of poses that needed to be struck to undo the seal. Doing so proved successful and the party was free to explore the inside of the old, crumbling tower. They were able to figure out the golem-powered mechanism that operated the lift and found signs of recent habitation in the uppermost floor. There were remnants of quite a collection of notes, but regrettably, all of them appeared to have been burned in an iron stove. The only items of note they discovered was an impeccable suit of armor and a lavender scented chest that contained a mummified severed head of a hobgoblin…
XP earned: 900 each