Time for my latest recaps. Another three sessions down. The first two sessions were slow, and I've quickly summarised them below before the more lengthily narrated recap I sent the players after the third session....
See previous post not too long ago for details of the party if so desired.
SESSION 14:
Having acquired the power of flight through gods-knows-what communion with his secretive master, Feyred solved the party's navigational difficulties by flying up above the jungle canopy to spot out Kir Sabal, some twenty miles to the south of their present position. Emboldened, the party marched south, slaying some hapless axe beaks that had the misfortune to mistake them for food. About halfway, they stumbled across a marshy sinkhole filled with man-eating quippers and featuring the long dead bones of nothing less than a full grown dragon! After musing on the scene for some time (and slaying many fish) the party could find nothing of interest and moved on. [I moved Needle's Bones into their path, but they didn't search for any secret doors in the walls, so missed that....]
Early the following morning a number of Su-monsters assailed their camp, stunning various party members and giving them all a bit of a fright. However, the adventurers prevailed, and later that day reached Kir Sabal! After a troublesome ascent they met with the head of the monastic aarakocra - Asharra, 'The Teacher' and her wards, Na and Mwaxanare, heirs to Omu.
Hearing the group's plea, Asharra agreed to grant them the power of flight through the ritual of the Dance of the Seven Winds. The party rejoiced! Surely soon they would be at Omu! Not quite...Asharra revealed that in order to conduct the ritual she would need a rare black orchid, of the kind found only in the ruins of Nangalore, some two days march south of Kir Sabal [I moved it nearer than shown on the map]. Faces drooped as the adventurers realised they would face yet another speedbump in their progress! [Jungle fatigue setting in, but Nangalore is exciting and the last speedbump, so not too worried].
SESSION 15:
The party took two days to reach Nangalore. Feyred again used his flying powers to scout out the marsh-surrounded ruin, noting the presence of several Eblis sentinels. He returned quickly before the nasty stork-people could intercept him. The party circled around to the front of the ruin, and fought off four crocodiles before entering the left hand terraces of Nangalore. There was much caution - but it did not prevent Feyred being ambushed by yellow musk zombies nor Elhorn stumbling across an assassin vine that somehow failed to ensnare him. All were dispatched by the combined efforts of the party, although Veitar did manage to hit Lana in the back with a Guiding Bolt, resulting in some friendly fire damage that highlighted the risks of firing ranged attacks into melee.
The group progressed to the central domed ruined palace, which contained a huge statue of a Chultan warrior and a strangely lifelike man-sized statue [foreshadowing FAIL - see next session]. En route, Lana noted down various indecipherable inscriptions in an ancient cuneiform, in case they were later able to translate these mysterious inscriptions. Near the central dome, Feyred and Eddie sniped an Eblis which was keeping watch from the roof of a nearby pagoda - their combined attacks proving fatal for the beast.
SESSION 16:
The session began in the ruined palace at Nangalore, as the party mused over what might be in the urn beneath the feet of the 18-foot-high statue of the Chultan warrior. The answer was provided by Lana, who opened the urn after Eddie had checked it over. It contained ashes - and seemed to be a funeral urn.
Seeing the intact dome in the northeast from the balcony overlooking the flooded garden to the north, the party resolved to make for it to seek the orchid. They couldn't force open the eastern doors of the domed chamber they were in, so instead made their way back west and through the northwestern pagoda that the unfortunate eblis had been perched atop. This seemed to be an eblis nest, foul-smelling and strewn with detritus and droppings. That didn't stop Eddie from searching through the muck, and his curiosity was rewarded by a pouch of gemstones.
The party waded across the northern flooded garden, strangely shaped stones underfoot. They paused to take in the shattered statue there, which seemed to be of a regal-looking woman. Arriving at the closed bronze doors of the northeastern pagoda, Elhorn pushed open the doors and they entered, all except Eddie who took up a position with his crossbow just outside the doors.
The single, large chamber inside the dome was obviously a royal apartment — or had been, centuries ago. Now the bright, floral murals were dim and gray, bits of colored glass heaped beneath a cracked mosaic, enameled wooden tables split and tilting, and every bit of cloth frayed and streaked.
At the center of the room, a long divan stood atop a circular dais. Reclining on the divan was a woman dressed in a flowing robe made from parrot feathers in stunning colors. Despite the heat, her arms, head, and face were covered in feathery veils. Next to her, a black orchid grew out of a large clay pot at the head of the divan. The party had found what they were seeking! She addressed them in a voice tinged with odd inflections. “Strangers have come to Nangalore, my love. What boon do our subjects beseech?”
Three eblis servants lined the northern wall, standing silently to attention.
There followed some negotiations, but it seemed the mysterious woman was just a little bit miffed they had shot down one of her eblis servants without provocation, and then disturbed the ashes of her (it turned out) long dead lover. She offered them a deal for the black orchid - hand over Elhorn to be her slave for all eternity, and they could have the flower.
Needless to say, the negotiations quickly soured, and the mysterious lady ordered her eblis to attack! Thinking quickly, Elhorn conjured his mage hand to snatch the orchid as Feyred blasted the approaching Eblis, and Lana fired off some shots with her longbow before charging into the fray. Mysterious hypnotic patterns conjured by the Eblis captivated Eddie - much to his annoyance - but everybody else was unaffected.
It was only when the woman tore off her veil that the party realised their true predicament - for the writhing snakes in the woman's hair revealed her to be none other than...a medusa! As everybody except Eddie set eyes on the monster, they struggled to ward off her petrifying gaze before averting their eyes. Three of the party had the inner resolve to resist her gaze. But sadly the fourth did not, and despite the use of Inspiration, poor Feyred Warbastard was turned instantly to stone, petrified for all time or until powerful magic could be applied to reverse the process.
Shocked by the fate of their companion - and with Elhorn holding the black orchid - the party beat a fighting retreat, Veitar healing Lana as she bore the brunt of the medusa and eblis attacks. Disengaging and sprinting away back across the flooded northern garden as two more eblis flew in to join the fight, Elhorn hurled fireball after fireball at their foes, slaying eblis and damaging the medusa horribly, torching her once glorious chambers. As she weakened, the medusa called forth a giant spectral apparation of the spear-wielding Chultan warrior, who towered above her. But with the party fleeing and out of range of the spear-thrust, the apparition could do little to aid her.
Finally, Veitar turned and smote the burned medusa with his Spiritual Weapon and righteous Sacred Flame - she slumped face first at the foot of the steps, her spectral guardian shimmered and disappeared, and the last eblis were despatched. It was over - but at what cost! The group had their black orchid, but they had lost Feyred, entombed forever in stony form within the medusa's scorched pagoda.
After Veitar performed a Prayer of Healing, the group returned in sombre mood to Kir Sabal, making it in the space of a day. Ascending the walkways to report their success and loss, they found a new traveller had arrived at the monastery in their absence - a Chultan albino dwarf shamanic druid by the name of Aylbous Stonegaze. Conincidentally, he too was seeking to solve the riddle of the death curse, for personal reasons he would relate to the party in due course. The party hit it off at first sight with the new arrival, and it was agreed he should accompany them to Omu.
Next morning, Asharra performed the Dance of the Seven Winds, powdering and inhaling the black orchid. Her wings disappeared - temporarily she assured them - and the five party members were granted the power of flight for three days. They set off with aarakocra escorts, on the final leg of their quest to find the forbidden city of Omu!
The three days of flying were punctuated by glorious vistas, but largely uneventful. The party did spot an abandoned camp, recovering a couple of climbing kits. On the last night, after the aarakocra had departed, they camped a mere half mile from Omu. A hungry allosaurus attacked in the early hours and was vanquished, providing a cooked breakfast. Their new companion Aylbous suffered the brunt of the dinosaur's blows, but healed himself afterwards with help from Veitar.
Now, on the morning of the 10th Flamerule, the party hacked their way through the final section of dense jungle, which soon parted to reveal a vast dead city enclosed by sheer cliffs. Ruined buildings and stone boulevards rose like ghosts from the floor of the misty basin. Colorful birds glided overhead. Strange bestial noises occasionally floated up from the city below.
A waterfall poured into the basin at the far end, a half mile distant, creating a swollen river that flooded much of the far end of the city before draining into a deep rift filled with molten lava. A ruined palace could be made out in the east of the city, a few hundred feet from the edge of the steaming abyss. Before them, from their position at the southwestern corner of the city, rough natural stone steps led down into a terrace in the cliffs, to what appeared to be an abandoned and partly collapsed gatehouse a short distance away. Beyond that, the city awaits...
See previous post not too long ago for details of the party if so desired.
SESSION 14:
Having acquired the power of flight through gods-knows-what communion with his secretive master, Feyred solved the party's navigational difficulties by flying up above the jungle canopy to spot out Kir Sabal, some twenty miles to the south of their present position. Emboldened, the party marched south, slaying some hapless axe beaks that had the misfortune to mistake them for food. About halfway, they stumbled across a marshy sinkhole filled with man-eating quippers and featuring the long dead bones of nothing less than a full grown dragon! After musing on the scene for some time (and slaying many fish) the party could find nothing of interest and moved on. [I moved Needle's Bones into their path, but they didn't search for any secret doors in the walls, so missed that....]
Early the following morning a number of Su-monsters assailed their camp, stunning various party members and giving them all a bit of a fright. However, the adventurers prevailed, and later that day reached Kir Sabal! After a troublesome ascent they met with the head of the monastic aarakocra - Asharra, 'The Teacher' and her wards, Na and Mwaxanare, heirs to Omu.
Hearing the group's plea, Asharra agreed to grant them the power of flight through the ritual of the Dance of the Seven Winds. The party rejoiced! Surely soon they would be at Omu! Not quite...Asharra revealed that in order to conduct the ritual she would need a rare black orchid, of the kind found only in the ruins of Nangalore, some two days march south of Kir Sabal [I moved it nearer than shown on the map]. Faces drooped as the adventurers realised they would face yet another speedbump in their progress! [Jungle fatigue setting in, but Nangalore is exciting and the last speedbump, so not too worried].
SESSION 15:
The party took two days to reach Nangalore. Feyred again used his flying powers to scout out the marsh-surrounded ruin, noting the presence of several Eblis sentinels. He returned quickly before the nasty stork-people could intercept him. The party circled around to the front of the ruin, and fought off four crocodiles before entering the left hand terraces of Nangalore. There was much caution - but it did not prevent Feyred being ambushed by yellow musk zombies nor Elhorn stumbling across an assassin vine that somehow failed to ensnare him. All were dispatched by the combined efforts of the party, although Veitar did manage to hit Lana in the back with a Guiding Bolt, resulting in some friendly fire damage that highlighted the risks of firing ranged attacks into melee.
The group progressed to the central domed ruined palace, which contained a huge statue of a Chultan warrior and a strangely lifelike man-sized statue [foreshadowing FAIL - see next session]. En route, Lana noted down various indecipherable inscriptions in an ancient cuneiform, in case they were later able to translate these mysterious inscriptions. Near the central dome, Feyred and Eddie sniped an Eblis which was keeping watch from the roof of a nearby pagoda - their combined attacks proving fatal for the beast.
SESSION 16:
The session began in the ruined palace at Nangalore, as the party mused over what might be in the urn beneath the feet of the 18-foot-high statue of the Chultan warrior. The answer was provided by Lana, who opened the urn after Eddie had checked it over. It contained ashes - and seemed to be a funeral urn.
Seeing the intact dome in the northeast from the balcony overlooking the flooded garden to the north, the party resolved to make for it to seek the orchid. They couldn't force open the eastern doors of the domed chamber they were in, so instead made their way back west and through the northwestern pagoda that the unfortunate eblis had been perched atop. This seemed to be an eblis nest, foul-smelling and strewn with detritus and droppings. That didn't stop Eddie from searching through the muck, and his curiosity was rewarded by a pouch of gemstones.
The party waded across the northern flooded garden, strangely shaped stones underfoot. They paused to take in the shattered statue there, which seemed to be of a regal-looking woman. Arriving at the closed bronze doors of the northeastern pagoda, Elhorn pushed open the doors and they entered, all except Eddie who took up a position with his crossbow just outside the doors.
The single, large chamber inside the dome was obviously a royal apartment — or had been, centuries ago. Now the bright, floral murals were dim and gray, bits of colored glass heaped beneath a cracked mosaic, enameled wooden tables split and tilting, and every bit of cloth frayed and streaked.
At the center of the room, a long divan stood atop a circular dais. Reclining on the divan was a woman dressed in a flowing robe made from parrot feathers in stunning colors. Despite the heat, her arms, head, and face were covered in feathery veils. Next to her, a black orchid grew out of a large clay pot at the head of the divan. The party had found what they were seeking! She addressed them in a voice tinged with odd inflections. “Strangers have come to Nangalore, my love. What boon do our subjects beseech?”
Three eblis servants lined the northern wall, standing silently to attention.
There followed some negotiations, but it seemed the mysterious woman was just a little bit miffed they had shot down one of her eblis servants without provocation, and then disturbed the ashes of her (it turned out) long dead lover. She offered them a deal for the black orchid - hand over Elhorn to be her slave for all eternity, and they could have the flower.
Needless to say, the negotiations quickly soured, and the mysterious lady ordered her eblis to attack! Thinking quickly, Elhorn conjured his mage hand to snatch the orchid as Feyred blasted the approaching Eblis, and Lana fired off some shots with her longbow before charging into the fray. Mysterious hypnotic patterns conjured by the Eblis captivated Eddie - much to his annoyance - but everybody else was unaffected.
It was only when the woman tore off her veil that the party realised their true predicament - for the writhing snakes in the woman's hair revealed her to be none other than...a medusa! As everybody except Eddie set eyes on the monster, they struggled to ward off her petrifying gaze before averting their eyes. Three of the party had the inner resolve to resist her gaze. But sadly the fourth did not, and despite the use of Inspiration, poor Feyred Warbastard was turned instantly to stone, petrified for all time or until powerful magic could be applied to reverse the process.
Shocked by the fate of their companion - and with Elhorn holding the black orchid - the party beat a fighting retreat, Veitar healing Lana as she bore the brunt of the medusa and eblis attacks. Disengaging and sprinting away back across the flooded northern garden as two more eblis flew in to join the fight, Elhorn hurled fireball after fireball at their foes, slaying eblis and damaging the medusa horribly, torching her once glorious chambers. As she weakened, the medusa called forth a giant spectral apparation of the spear-wielding Chultan warrior, who towered above her. But with the party fleeing and out of range of the spear-thrust, the apparition could do little to aid her.
Finally, Veitar turned and smote the burned medusa with his Spiritual Weapon and righteous Sacred Flame - she slumped face first at the foot of the steps, her spectral guardian shimmered and disappeared, and the last eblis were despatched. It was over - but at what cost! The group had their black orchid, but they had lost Feyred, entombed forever in stony form within the medusa's scorched pagoda.
After Veitar performed a Prayer of Healing, the group returned in sombre mood to Kir Sabal, making it in the space of a day. Ascending the walkways to report their success and loss, they found a new traveller had arrived at the monastery in their absence - a Chultan albino dwarf shamanic druid by the name of Aylbous Stonegaze. Conincidentally, he too was seeking to solve the riddle of the death curse, for personal reasons he would relate to the party in due course. The party hit it off at first sight with the new arrival, and it was agreed he should accompany them to Omu.
Next morning, Asharra performed the Dance of the Seven Winds, powdering and inhaling the black orchid. Her wings disappeared - temporarily she assured them - and the five party members were granted the power of flight for three days. They set off with aarakocra escorts, on the final leg of their quest to find the forbidden city of Omu!
The three days of flying were punctuated by glorious vistas, but largely uneventful. The party did spot an abandoned camp, recovering a couple of climbing kits. On the last night, after the aarakocra had departed, they camped a mere half mile from Omu. A hungry allosaurus attacked in the early hours and was vanquished, providing a cooked breakfast. Their new companion Aylbous suffered the brunt of the dinosaur's blows, but healed himself afterwards with help from Veitar.
Now, on the morning of the 10th Flamerule, the party hacked their way through the final section of dense jungle, which soon parted to reveal a vast dead city enclosed by sheer cliffs. Ruined buildings and stone boulevards rose like ghosts from the floor of the misty basin. Colorful birds glided overhead. Strange bestial noises occasionally floated up from the city below.
A waterfall poured into the basin at the far end, a half mile distant, creating a swollen river that flooded much of the far end of the city before draining into a deep rift filled with molten lava. A ruined palace could be made out in the east of the city, a few hundred feet from the edge of the steaming abyss. Before them, from their position at the southwestern corner of the city, rough natural stone steps led down into a terrace in the cliffs, to what appeared to be an abandoned and partly collapsed gatehouse a short distance away. Beyond that, the city awaits...
