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Message: <blockquote data-quote="CleverName" data-source="post: 1313835" data-attributes="member: 2591">Adventure #20Galavesh Meets His Maker(Or Merrshaulk Returns to the Drawing Board)By Copoc Kitzam (David Nickerson)We spent nearly a day in the Spirit Plane, reposing in its rejuvenating embrace while we formulated our plan of attack. Our many talks with Bel and Gondoc both added to our knowledge of Galavesh and bolstered our courage, but at the same time left us with the distinct impression that we may all very well die. Bel continued to insist that we build our strength and devise strategies that would prepare us for a number of possible mishaps. Gondoc, impatient as always, wanted to attack immediately. I think that he has grown rather fond of Kuldar, especially after the bit with the dragon. At any rate, the time for action was soon upon us. I wanted as much as anyone to end the menace of Galavesh once and for all, but I felt a growing sadness as I ended the Spirit Jump and returned us to the material plane. It had become increasingly difficult for me to leave that wonderful place and I was filled with an intense regret. It soon dissipated however, as we materialized near Krace’s headquarters and I was reminded once more of the atrocities inflicted upon my race by this abomination’s master. The druid Sativola was there, as were many Cimbri warriors. Bodies littered the landscape and it appeared that Sativola was directing an effort to seal the compound. He spied us at once and approached immediately, both relieved and surprised. “We thought you were dead!” “A close call,” replied Gudlaug, “but we merely retreated to rest and regain our strength.”“Excellent work,” Sativola said. He looked us up and down, obviously impressed at what we had accomplished. “We burned the corpses that you left behind.”“Good idea,” I said, and we all breathed a sigh of relief, plagued as we were by visions of our fallen foes returning.“Galavesh is inside,” he continued. “We sent in fifteen of our best and brightest warriors to destroy him. They all have perished.” He walked over to a lumpy puddle of goo that vaguely resembled something that once was humanoid and nudged it with his boot. “Melted down by Galavesh’s acidic venom.” Sativola shook his head regretfully. “I summoned a terrible storm to pummel him and he has retreated inside. I entered the compound in rat-form to investigate, but having seen what Galavesh can do I dared not go too deep. We thought it best to seal him inside.”“That never works,” grumbled Kuldar, “you’ve got to lay into these things with a good solid axe…”“We believe that we might be able to destroy this monster,” interrupted Gudlaug, and the rest of the party nodded in agreement. Gondoc was salivating blood and urged me to speed things up.“We must proceed with the utmost of caution,” warned Bel with a no-nonsense intensity.“Nonsense,” retorted Gondoc. “We’ve all seen how your strategy works.” At this point, his face twisted in agony, Gondoc feigned having a still-beating heart ripped from his chest. All of my ancestor spirits had a good chuckle, and even Kanul Yat Balam seemed to crack a brief smile at Gondoc’s antics. The Ard-Nathrach king, however, was not amused. “And what of your tactics heathen? What price have you ultimately paid for your brash folly?”“Folly? Whose descendants number in the tens you legless blunder?”“Knock it off before I dismiss you both,” I said without meaning it, but my ploy seemed to work. I anchored both of these powerful spirits to this reality, and neither wanted to leave before seeing this through. Apparently I had spoken rather loudly, for I found that Sativola was studying me intensely. “Who are you talking to?” he inquired. “No one,” Gudlaug quickly answered before I could even try to explain the nature of spirits and their relationship to the world around us. “It’s a long story.”Finally we prepared ourselves to enter the compound. I called upon Gondoc to enlarge Malcolm and Kuldar and to grant bull’s strength to Malcolm and Dario while Xmukane Kan likened my skin to stone. Gudlaug and Andreas placed various protections upon themselves, Dario, and Tyrell. The entrance was very dark and we could hear nothing so Andreas cast invisibility upon Malcolm and charged his favored dagger with a light to prepare him for scouting ahead. Bel had endeavored to give us every possible advantage, and at this point suggested blessing one of the dwarves with his true sight. Grasping the Ard-Nathrach tooth that anchored Bel to this plane I allowed the spell to be cast on Gudlaug. Following the spot where we suspected Malcolm might be, we moved down the hall and into a larger room. Andreas recognized this as the place where he had scryed Bethune and Krace days before. There was a door straight ahead of us and also one to the left. We heard a chanting from this direction and suddenly the room was plunged into deep darkness. Invoking his strange yet familiar magics, Gudlaug dispelled the darkness and began preparing to turn the stone door into mud. Just as he completed this task, I convinced Xmukane Kan to haste the entire party. We crept down a short hall that opened into a large room housing the Yuan-ti Anathema, Galavesh. Sprouting six snake-like heads, the creature was hideous and it towered above us all. A large quiver rested upon its back holding several javelin-like weapons that appeared to be crafted from spinal columns. Galavesh began taunting us immediately. “Bow before my mightiness and I may allow you to serve as my slaves!” he bellowed. Gondoc was about to explode and his spirit warriors were snarling and snapping like mad. I still could not see Malcolm, but Dario and Kuldar moved closer only to stop and shrink back as they drew near. I gripped my newly acquired shock club and thought wistfully of Yax Che Mal, but I knew that my place would not be on the front lines in this battle At this point Andreas stepped up and was able to counter the aversion that afflicted Dario, Kuldar, and apparently Malcolm. Tyrell moved forward as well and the three warriors surrounded the boastful beast. I could only assume that Malcolm had moved behind Galavesh to gain a flanking advantage. Gudlaug chose this moment to unleash his dreaded flame strike, and I fully expected the monster to be reduced to cinders. Unfortunately, when the flames had diminished we could see that Galavesh was annoyed but apparently unconcerned. But we had drawn first blood! He struck at Kuldar, Dario, and Tyrell but missed on all three counts.* “Your pitiful little band cannot harm me,” he prattled to all who cared to listen, “for I am….. Galavessshhh!” He drew out the last syllable, ecstatic to hear the sound of his own name. The Anathema faltered momentarily, however, as our warriors four struck. Weapons glistening with oil and divinely good, each hero left his indelible mark in the creature’s resilient hide. Tyrell ripped a gaping wound and Kuldar’s axe was devastating as always. Malcolm delivered a mighty blow further enhanced by his magical belt and Dario slashed and stabbed with deadly accuracy. I thought for sure this unholy abomination would fall! Alas, he did not. In response to this awesome onslaught his demeanor altered slightly and he seemed to focus on Dario “I remember that sword!” Galavesh gazed with hatred at the Holy weapon of Saint Uriah- the very blade that had once carved his doom. Gondoc was becoming abusive because I had not yet initiated the ritual that would release his kulkan horde, but I did not know the full extent of my companions’ capabilities and thought it prudent to expose any weaknesses that Galavesh might have. Kanul Yat Balam and Bel readily agreed, and Kanul began an incantation to reveal his vulnerabilities. The behemoth took extra damage from Holy weapons, was resistant to electricity, and was immune to acid and poison. I could only hope that this information would prove useful. An acrid smell filled the air as Galavesh lashed out against my comrades, amazingly missing all four.* The warriors all retaliated, dealing more damage than I had ever witnessed in a single combat, yet still the brute stood. Gondoc had become insane with rage by this time, and I allowed the swarming pack to pour forth, their teeth and claws phasing in and out of this reality as they rushed toward their intended prey. Gondoc laughed delightedly as his ghost minions ripped and tore into the offensive flesh of Galavesh Once more the creature’s demeanor changed, and this seemingly indestructible horror looked straight at me with penetrating eyes. “I will save you for last shaman!”Galavesh remained the braggart, but his anger burned and I wondered momentarily if he could see Bel and Gondoc standing beside me. I focused my full attention on directing the spirit warriors!!! Meanwhile, as Kuldar and Tyrell swung away, Galavesh struck once more, grappling and constricting both Dario and Malcolm in two of his serpent-like appendages. We were assaulted by an acrid odor as Galavesh began to muster his deadly acid. The color of his hide changed before our eyes, becoming a little more nauseous if possible, and he brimmed with confidence, unaware that Andreas had imbued my comrades with acid protection.Gondoc’s death pack converged on Galavesh once more, but he seemed to shrug off the wounds that now covered nearly half of his enormous form. As Gudlaug and I discussed the possibility of unleashing some elementals to put more pressure on Galavesh, Andreas blasted our foe with a ray of enfeeblement. I had seen this powerful spell work previously on Cyranog and it proved just as debilitating to the Yuan-ti Anathema, allowing Malcolm to break free and roll to safety. Kuldar and Tyrell continued their attempts to free Dario while Andreas prepared a feeblemind spell. Exuberant as they were to exert themselves in the material world, Gondoc’s warrior minions were becoming frustrated and yearned to attack the nearest and most vulnerable targets. It took all of my concentration to keep them locked in on Galavesh. They clawed and chewed at the towering monstrosity, unaffected by the acid that gushed from wounds as they tore off strips of scaly flesh. The feeblemind failed, but Andreas was desperate to save his bodyguard and finally he put Galavesh down with an empowered scorching ray. We all stared at the demonic fiend, not believing that it was truly over. I was shaken briefly as I imagined (?) two small bits of stringy meat moving ever so slowly toward the core of the carnage. Was it regenerating? Illusion or not, it was soon dispelled, as Kuldar, Malcolm, and Dario pulverized the corpse with axe and sword. As we moved out of the chamber to investigate the door we had seen earlier, Gondoc stood fast over the heaping mound of shredded flesh and entrails, arms folded across his massive chest. He looked perplexed. “What, we’re not eating?”The door was indeed trapped, but Malcolm disabled a device that was designed to drop the room’s very floor. Thankful to avoid the unknown perils below, we moved into a small alcove filled with scrolls. These proved to hold vast amounts of valuable information. Eight of them comprised the diary of Krace, interspersed with alchemical formulae and drawings. We determined immediately that we would destroy any formula that revealed the recipe for demon’s breath. The diary was written in both Yuan-ti and common. From skimming the scrolls we learned that ten years ago the Emperor of Navinda, a Yuan-ti city in Akkadia, decided to send an expedition to Skia Thalassa. He chose Krace, a respected priest of Merrshaulk; Wulvera, one of his most trusted spies; and Ophia, one of his courtiers. Unknown to the other two, Krace had motivations other than the spread of “scaly supremacy” and the undermining of the Akkadian Princes’ wealth from the distant West. He wished to locate an ancient evil, the Anathema known as Galavesh. Wulvera settled in Kostelna and set about taking over the prostitution and drug business. Ophia ensconced herself with the Three Mothers- notably dwelling in a floating palace/port called the Shadow Barge. When Wulvera and Ophia learned of Krace’s plans to unleash Galavesh, they drove him from the “nest” leadership. He had hoped to return to their good graces via the Demon’s Breath formulae. Adept and determined, Krace managed to strike up a friendship with the Nathrach and eventually learned the whereabouts of Galavesh’s prison (an old barrow) in the swamps. While searching for the barrow, Krace encountered a black dragon named Cyranog. They formed an alliance and the dragon helped Krace and his followers to free Galavesh Krace turned Cyranog into a ti-halat, and Galavesh gave it the scaly skin graft-making the dragon’s armor almost invulnerable. Cyranog moved its treasure into the old tomb, becoming a warden for Krace’s prisoners and a guardian for the holy weapon that Galavesh fears.About two months ago, two of the Yuan-ti purebloods that escaped the temple in Kostelna came to Krace and told him of Wulvera’s fate and the adventurers that killed her. They also warned Ophia, the third Yuan-ti leader who lives with the Three Mothers.Ophia and Krace set about hunting down Wulvera’s murderers. They mostly used Bethune and Cryda for this, but there were reports from unnamed spies and it seemed like Ophia had also joined the search. They were never able to locate the sorcerer Makar, but found Gann in Ulforsi, and Copoc and Malcolm in Jormunsteinn. They captured Gann, tortured him, and converted him to the cause.I thought of our first encounter with Cryda and felt a rush of guilt. Although disguised at the time, I had helped to reveal our location when I spoke my true name. This had subsequently led to an ambush by Bethune. I would have to be more careful in the future, but truly, who could have imagined that Copoc was such an uncommon name among the mammals? We were also fortunate enough to discover new information from the scrolls concerning Galavesh- the chosen of Merrshaulk. Three scrolls were of Kulkan skin and written in Kulkan script. They were difficult to decipher, but revealed that Galavesh was driven out of his birthplace, Navinda, by nobles who were obviously jealous of his power and majesty and resentful of his rightful rule as their god-emperor He fled the West on a ship and discovered a large city of Kulkans called Tikul on a snow-capped and mountainous volcanic isle.Outside of the city Galavesh encountered a nesting pair of black dragons in some swampland Some escaped Kulkan slaves from Tikul were living with the dragons as their servants Galavesh used magic and potions to turn them all into his worshippers, and then helped to foment a revolt among the slaves of the Tikul, bringing hundreds into his power. He then used scaly skin grafts and the sorcery of the dragons to transform several of the Kulkan slaves into great warriors. They proceeded to sack Tikul and forced the rightful rulers into the swamps. For a period of about five years the Black Kulkans held sway, turning the tables on their former masters. Eventually a hero arose among the dispossessed Kulkans driven from Tikul. His name was Gondoc After several failed attempts to unite his people and drive off the Black Kulkans and their new God Galavesh, Gondoc called upon one of the nearly forgotten dark gods of the Kulkans, Chac: the Blood Rain. Gondoc used his newfound powers to route the Black Kulkans and destroy Galavesh’s most prized and evil creation- the Black King. But the price was terrible. Gondoc’s own two children were sacrificed to Chac. Galavesh cursed the city to never flourish again and fled north this time, swimming eventually into Skia Thalassa. I was both shocked and disappointed. Gondoc’s sacrifice seemed severe and also quite insane! I remembered being warned as a child of the horrors of Chac and the Blood Rain. No rational being would ever dare to approach this dark god! But then no one had ever accused Gondoc of being rational! I considered the dire circumstances and determined that I was not qualified to judge him. After all, the future of my entire race hung in the balance and the scales had been tipped in favor of Galavesh and the Black Kulkans. I was just thankful that I had not been forced to face Chac and the Blood Rain! Few can comprehend such evil, powerful enough to swallow Galavesh whole and spit his black bones in the face of MerrshaulkWe walked out into the sunlight to find Sativola and his Cimbri preparing once more to seal the compound. Myra, the Siluri Ambassador to the Vacomagus Court, was also present. Everyone was surprised as we emerged, and there were hushed whispers as monies were exchanged. Gudlaug approached an unbelieving Cimbri, lighter now by several weeks pay, and said “Never bet against the dwarves!”Questions filled the air and I unwisely suggested to my comrades that we ask White Dragon about the Shadow Barge. “You guys know a dragon?” asked a very loud Cimbri. Sativola was staring at me once again.“White Dragon is just a nick name,” Andreas assured everyone, covering once more for my slippery tongue.“Yessss,” I added, “a very knowledgable fellow.” Gudlaug quickly agreed. Luckily, such a close call reminded us all of our surroundings. Collectively we made a mental note to carefully monitor what was said in mixed company. We were somewhat relieved when Sativola dispatched some Cimbri to burn the remains of Galavesh. Whispers of white dragons continued amongst the remaining Cimbri warriors however.Myra offered to teleport us all to Vacomagus for a celebration. This invitation was well received to be sure, but we announced that first we must retrieve our ship and attend to a few other pressing matters. “Well let’s get the talking ship and go!” blurted Kuldar. “You guys have a talking ship?” inquired another very loud Cimbri. Soon everyone was chattering excitedly about talking ships. “Strong dwarven ale’” Gudlaug suggested with a smile. Sativola did not appear entirely convinced.We were all exhausted and what followed seemed a blur. Kuldar, having successfully completed his assignment, teleported back to Vacomagus with Myra. Andreas teleported Gudlaug to Medoc so that he might convince the Rogulkan captain Vykos to take his troops into Siluri lands and annihilate anything that even remotely resembled a snake. Sativola grew feathers and flew away. When Andreas and Gudlaug returned we had a serious discussion about how best to deal with Kuldar’s blunder and the growing “talking ship” buzz.My mind wandered. Kanul Yat Balam reminded me of the very first spirit that I had ever cajoled, a mischievous chaoswisp named Gopas. He had served me well and his only wish had been that I aid him with his practical jokes. On several occasions we had arranged elaborate rituals centered on the burning of vision weed. We had then set about making my spiritblind brethren believe they could now see the spirits! Gopas had then cast his spells and we shared many laughs as rocks and bushes called out the children’s names and sent them on silly quests “Magic mouth,” I suggested. “Problem solved.”Everyone agreed and Andreas teleported off to procure a wand of magic mouth to attach to white Dragon’s rigging.Soon we had boarded White Dragon. He was not pleased with Kuldar’s indiscretion, but seemed at least temporarily satisfied with our solution. After hearing our adventures and of the ensuing battle with Galavesh, White Dragon surprised us by revealing that he had decided to go ahead and test the shadow sail. He was weary from its use, but informed us that it indeed provided a means of entering and traveling through the Shadow Plane. Gudlaug was anxious to try it as well and read a few pages from the instruction manual. We immediately phased into the Shadow Plane, and I must say that it was a most wretched place! It was dark, and cold, and everything seemed shrouded within an impenetrable mist. I was able to communicate with Kanul Yat Balam, Gondoc, Bel, and Ikali Mox, but my lesser spirit allies seemed to fade away. They all urged me to leave and I agreed with their assessment. This place was the antithesis to the comfort and splendor of the Spirit World. I felt as if I were trapped, suffocating. I shivered uncontrollably. It was similar to the way I felt performing the summoning ritual for Dalas Salik…Gudlaug read some more text and brought us out of the Shadow Plane. He was thoroughly exhausted, but satisfied with his mastery of the transition ritual. I was very happy to be home and sailing for Vacomagus.We arrived in the Cimbri city already heroes! Queen Nighean feasted us and granted us boons. She offered us aid, free passage through her fair city, and also said that we would always be welcome to stay in her court. Malcolm was commissioned as a captain in the Vacomagus “Navy.” All in all we were treated as royalty. We told our tale over and over and were questioned incessantly about the Yuan-ti, Galavesh, and talking ships! I was most grateful when the Queen agreed to pass along any information she might receive concerning the location of Tikul We all agreed that our first order of business would be to locate and destroy Ophia. We would spend a month or so in Vacomagus, sort through our treasure, and then hunt down the last of the Yuan-ti “nest” and the Three MothersThis having been decided, I asked my comrades for their future aid in locating the lost city of Tikul. Despite their many obligations, Andreas and Dario agreed to help “Of course, of course,” Malcolm proclaimed, raising his wine glass in a toast. “You have been a fast friend Copoc.”“Copoc is never fast,” Gudlaug replied, joining the toast. “Well now, that would depend on how long I’ve been in the sun wouldn’t it?” I corrected. For unexplained reasons my friends thought I had delivered some sort of punch line. They laughed and laughed but refused to explain the joke. I swear I will never understand mammals!*GM NOTE: I hit a few more times than reported, but not much more. As with any of the fights at the climax of a story arc, I make my rolls in the open. Most of the time I needed something like a 6-8 on the die to hit, and true to Copoc's tale most of the time I missed! Ack! Even Keith (Andreas'player) was rollin' better than I, and that's saying a lot!<img src="https://cdn.jsdelivr.net/joypixels/assets/8.0/png/unicode/64/1f609.png" class="smilie smilie--emoji" loading="lazy" width="64" height="64" alt=";)" title="Wink    ;)"  data-smilie="2"data-shortname=";)" /> So it goes sometimes...</blockquote>

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