THE HISTORY OF THE COUATL

ADVENTURE THIRTEEN

“The Godmen”

Characters:

Count Dovinyae : Druid from the Unknown Lands

Count Amren : Ophyrish ranger

Captain Toki: Indorian Warrior.

Captain Alrek: Indorian Warrior

Count Ragnar: Indorian Runecaster.

Sir Xavier : Drychtnothian Paladin

Daragru the Terrible: Drychtnothian Warlord.

Xamn Doge: Drychtnothian Rogue.

The Time : 8th Age, 6th Year, 18th Thomtain through the 25th of Thomtain. (winter).

The Place: Drychtnoth (Talp Kolj); Drychtnoth (Kharzho); Dream World; Drychtnoth (Kargan Mountains)

Notes on the Mountain of the Godmen:

The Mountain of the Godmen is a large mountain in the Osgeld Mountain Range. Its most notable features include a long, long stairway carved into it that takes petitioners to the peak. At the icy peak is a fortress. The fortress is the refuge of the Godmen.

The Couatl returned quickly to Kharzho and rescued Xamn Doge (which they may eventually regret). Unnoticed by Thosan, the dream-ship retreated hastily into dream world.

Ragnar had a vision of Odin pointing to a mountain with a long stairway winding its way up it. Odin said, “It is time.”

Ragnar told the Couatl about the vision and they decided to travel to the Mountain of the Godmen. Alrek gave the ship the order and the craft began to move through the waterways of Dreamworld. Daragru was extensively interviewed by the Couatl during the journey. They found that his mind has been extensively tampered with by psionics. Daragru has difficulty believing this.

As they traveled, on the third day, Amren saw a man flying along the coast, fleeing from pursuing frost giants. The Coautl yelled to the flying man and told him to fly across the water to the ship. The flying man hesitated, then pushed himself to go across the water. The flight drained him of most of his energy, nearly killing him, but he reached the ship, so drained he was now transparent. He was a ghost.

The frost giants waded into the large river and began to chuck rocks at the ship. Ragnar shifted the ship up one level in dreamworld to an ocean. The ghost introduced himself as Anathek, priest of Olanigan. Anathek asked if they could help him find a way to be resurrected so that he could rejoin the Twilight Gathering, as well as lead a war against Isaxar. Anathek said he knew a ritual which would allow the Godmen to psionically undo the “damage” done by the Imperial Academy of War. The Couatl agreed to help the dead priest.

After two more days of travel on the dream-ocean, Ragnar recieved the signal from Capt. Alrek to transfer the ship back to the real world. They appeared in the Bay of Ingara, close to the mountainous shoreline south of the former Universitayt. Capt. Toki ordered the ship to go to the Mountain of the Godmen. As they neared the shoreline, they saw the tall mountain peak, the stairway winding its way up just as Ragnar saw it in his vision. Capt. Toki ordered the ship to fold up, and it did so, folding up into a little box.

The arduous journey through the mountains took one day, then they reached the bottom of the long stairway. For three days they traveled up the mountain of the Godmen, coming at last to the large fortess at the summit. They pounded upon the gigantic ironbound doors. The doors opened and they were greeted by Upelthinus, one of the Godmen. Ragnar approached Upelthinus and asked if they would let him see the original scroll of the Rune of Resurrection. Upelthinus said he could if he would pass a test. Only those who truly wanted what they were testing for could pass. Ragnar agreed. Other members of the Couatl wanted tests also. Dovinyae asked for more psionic power. Amren wanted to be able to personally pass higher in dreamworld. Alrek wanted something. Toki wanted a midget.

Upelthinus led the Couatl into the monestery. The monestary was filled with rock gardens, sand sculptures, small shrines, a few larger buildings along the opposite wall, trees, and flowers. Within the walls was temperature and climate controlled via magic and it was quite comfortable. Monks sat in quiet contemplation; meditating, reading, writing, or working in silence.

Xamn Doge wandered off on her own, looking for loot amongst the shrines. Upelthinus took the others to one of the large buildings along the wall opposite the gate. Ragnar met with the monk who was to fight him. The monk was given a two-handed sword, Ragnar’s weapon of choice, to fight the Indorian with. During the walk, Upelthinus was able to take from the minds of each of the Couatl (save Dovinyae, who would have noticed such an intrusion) the proficiencies necessary for each of their preferred weapons. Upelthinus gave this proficiency to the monk to fight Ragnar. Ragnar and the monk battled and Ragnar was victorious. Similar “tests” were conducted for each of the other members of the group. Upelthinus gave each of the monks the necessary proficiency so that the battle could be fair. One of the monks in the monestary was already proficient with the quarter staff and he was chosen to fight Dovinyae. Each member of the Couatl won their battle. Sir Xavier, during the tests, found a shrine to the Silver Tree, and he opted to meditate within.

Xamn Doge found a shrine to Thomtain Hob, god of Law. She began chanting a song dedicated to Na May Hob, god of Chaos. She found an unsuspecting monk, lured him to the shrine, then murdered him. She dedicated the altar to Na May Hob after looting it and hiding the loot.

After the combats were over, Ragnar was given access to the scroll. Dovinyae was given brief training to access a new part of his mind, revealing yet another psionic skill. Amren was given meditations to practice to free his mind, purifying himself for the journey to a higher state within dreamworld. Alrek was given something. Toki was denied his midget, due to the lack thereof, but was offered instead greater skill with his weapons.

Thomtain Hob sent Sir Xavier a warning about Xamn Doge, but his intuition failed the paladin and he did not recognize the feeling as a warning.

Dovinyae asked Upelthinus about performing psychic surgery upon Daragru. Upelthinus said that it would be possible, but a price will have to be paid due to the extreme danger. The druid explained that in dreamworld they had a priest who could prevent the danger. Upelthinus explained that the procedure could only be done here, not in the dreamworld, so bring the priest here and it would so be done. Dovinyae said that upon the priest’s resurrection, they would return.

Ragnar read the scroll and Odin sent the runecaster on the quest, telling him to use the Gate to Hell found in the Nightmare Lands. The Couatl found Xamn Doge skulking around outside and they left the monestary. For two days they traveled down the mountainside. Another day of mountain travel found them at the shore of the Ingaran Bay. Captain Toki unfolded the boat and the group traveled to dreamworld. Captain Alrek gave the ship the order to go to the Nightmare Lands.

Each Player was awarded 7,000exp. for accomplishing this much of the adventure.

Xamn Doge received a bonus for excellent role-playing.

Current Events : Nyandar has declared war on Drychtnoth and has begun to attack the border kingdoms of that warlike nation. The Nyandarians have lost eleven of the first twelve skirmishes and Drychtnoth is planning a massive retributive strike. The king of Nyandar seems intent on making major tactical blunders, allowing the defending Drychtnothians to gain footage and destroy the Nyandarian troops. Nyandar, though an ally of Yam ibn Saud, has begun these attacks without Imperial permission or help.

Notes on Anathek: A priest of Olanigan, the god of war. He was born in Drychtnoth and, very early in life, he had a vision from the Cruel Warrior. The vision led him to leave home and, in his journeys, discovered his link with the war god. He could call upon the Krasarxech and could channel the war god’s power through him in spells. Anathak joined the Temple of Olanigan in Sprakxorclerat, which seemed to him to be the most beautiful and wonderous of cities. He became very popular and was often invited by the Council to mingle with the rich and powerful. Anathek learned much that the warlords would rather him not to have learned, but he kept this knowledge secret. As the years passed, his magical powers seemed to weaken and he knew he was wasting his gifts. In a move that surprised the upperclasses, Anathek left Drychtnoth, travelling to Itsitlawikanah, Lamapacher, to join the Twilight Gathering. He became a personal henchman to Samadhi the Light, leader of the Twilight Gathering. His powers grew as he furthered the cause of War. He became very popular with the leaders of Itsitlawikanah.

Anathek joined in the fight against Tsareth, the lich-queen of Golgaryllgar. Passing through the Sea of Storms with Samadhi, Raloth, Gathorm, and other powerful personages, Anathek attacked the stronghold of Tsareth, who used to be Saren, a henchman to Grindill during the Fourth Age (6,000 years ago). Anathek died there, the heat of his body drained by the defenses of the lich-queen. A tomb was built for him in Itsitlawikanah and his body given a heroe’s burial.

But his adventures did not end there. Angry at their intrusion, Tsareth used magic to snare the fleeing soul of the priest. Intending to torture him later, after she had dealt with the others, she placed his soul in a Khemian ushabti and placed the whole in Dreamland. Upon her final death, Anathek’s container got caught up in the winds of the Sea of Storms, which extend far into Dreamland, and was tossed into a settlement of gnomes. The gnomes freed his soul, which became as a ghost. Anathek led the gnomes in revolt against a Dwarvish regime and freed them from their near-slave status. As time passed, Anathek found that he could look solid and real in dreamworld once he discovered the proper ritual. He even found a ritual that allowed him to pass over running water, though it still weakened him. He organized a war against a tyrannical dream-dragon, and was attempting, when the Couatl found him, to help some Viking warriors fight against their frost giant oppressors.

The two things Anathek seems to hate most are Nyandarians and the Undead. He is also very unhappy with current events in Drychtnothian politics and is opposed to Isaxar taking the Imperial Throne. He has decided to use his knowledge to fight Isaxar.

Notes on the Godmen: Upelthinus, the first Godman the Couatl met, was a 18th level Monk/ 20th level psionicist dual class. He was functioning as guard/gateman/ guide on that day.