10/19/2024

Q: What is your favorite bird? A: Wereraven, because DTF.
 
BEGIN SESSION
 
Dawn rises, and we continue. Melfine, Marda, and I try to get some shuteye (WIS save – 13 – I get sucked into my book, only sleeping ~3 hours.) Yun and Petunia notice the volcano, verdant growth all around the area, and wings approaching. Druss does better, catching a glint from the back indicating armored riders coming to observe us. He waits until they’re a little closer to wake the sleepers. Golden eagles circle us, followed by a very young red dragon with a rider, a drider (spider-person like Quelaag), gripped around the dragon with all 8 legs to secure itself. The drider has a parasol and 60’s-style secretary glasses. They question why we’re here, and identify themselves as Miss Gray, and what we are looking for. Druss tells the truth about the soul stone, which we know may or may not be in Charring’s possession. They could guarantee an opportunity to talk to Bloody Charring instead of us just getting the runaround.
 
The dragon is named Chad, and Gray kicks like one kicks a horse to get Chad going. Chad is a little sour about it but does as instructed.
 
There is a small township at the base of the volcano, the capital of this domain. We circle around away from it, following Chad’s lead. This isn’t the way Charring would go, but the rest of us that couldn’t survive the main volcano entrance must use it. The lava tube is covered in a sharp glass (DEX save – 16 – no damage) and gash Melfine but miss the rest of us. Once we’re through the sharp glass segment, we can see Charring’s hoard. What once were piles of coins are now melted together into small mountains of precious metals. There is a sword plunged into the top of the gold mountain, and around us are Phase Spiders, but with an orange-red aura instead of the usual blue. The spiders are like worker ants busying themselves about the hoard. Further in, a massive, rotund dragon with one glowing yellow eye observes us. The dragon is laid upon a massive metal ship, long ago crashed.
 
Upon seeing us, the dragon perks up somewhat, probably in surprise at our arrival. He sits up, extending out his wings. We can see that the webbing of the wings is mended with gold, a la Japanese Kintsugi. Miss Gray leaps from Chad and heads to a lava glass desk area. She uses some legs to begin knitting, and others to arrange papers and begin taking minutes. Charring turns to glare at her, and then back to us. (INS – 26 (nat 20) – Charring had winced at Druss speaking in Draconic, so I warn Druss to switch to Common.) In Common, Charring asks what we have to offer for the trade that Druss had just proposed. Melfine takes over, noting that many of our magic items are probably already in the hoard, but also offers services. Some kind of Aasimar appears briefly, with a breeze that smells of fate. Marda slips out that she is currently marked/possessed by Asmodeus, and that we need the soul stone.
 
He shifts and shimmers, and fades in an Azer (fire dwarf) walking off the ship towards us. He is unarmed, and the kintsugi now webs throughout his arms. He rips of a piece of the metal ship to sit on, eyeing us expectantly. He admits that Asmodeus getting to the Material Plane would be at least inconvenient. We’re offered a test, since we seem stupid. He admits to having the soul stone, is not currently using it but was saving it for something.
 
I offer him the arrabiata sauce from Smallville (PER – nat 20+4 – he summons bread and eats it, loving it). He offers me some food after I admit to liking it, and several spiders appear with charcuterie boards. He talks about his domain with the Elemental Plane of Fire, and its proximity to the Hells. I agree to set up a supply line to distribute Smallville Arrabiata to Charring’s Domain. I eat the hottest of things (CON save – 15 – 10 dmg, Absorb Elements halves it to 5 and stores 1d6 fire damage to use on the next turn, but that’s not really relevant here.)
 
Miss Gray notices Melfine’s constant bloodiness and approaches her, asking if Melfine generally enjoys pain. There’s sofa king much tension.
 
Charring asks our names, which we give, except Druss but that seems to be accepted? I am Geno, 32nd son of the Cabaretti Family. Charring is offering exclusive trade rights to my Family, should we be able to meet the needs of His Domain. This would provide wealth for generations.
 
His demands: 1) elementals as the end of his domain trying to limit growth of the access point to the Plane of Fire. Elementals are probably of the opposing type, but we’ll still want fire res gear. The City of Brass will have cultural differences, don’t give names, don’t take contracts, we’re 2nd class citizens, ruled by ifrits, being there will hurt as it’s made of fire. They have good magic items since there are tons of scum and a measure of villainy there. The city is probably a half-day journey from the access point. 2) He wants the soul stone back. Melfine counters with demands Asmodeus not be released ever again. Charring promises not to do it on the Material Plane and not for most of our lifetimes, but he’ll have to do it eventually, as the stone won’t hold Asmodeus forever. Melfine just wants to protect Marda and her sister and needs the time to do so. Charring is amenable but is going to need a voucher for a future date requiring us to fetch him and magical, non-world-ending item. It won’t kill one of us forever, maybe just a little dead for a little while, or cursed, whatever. Fixing those temporary conditions will be on us.
 
We move out into the township at the base of the volcano, mostly made up of fire genasi. We go to The Fireside Inn to get a single room, in which we’ll up put the tent for everyone (1 GP for their silence and a wakeup call). The general store will have the fire res potions (1hr/50GP; Marda buys 6 and 2 standard HP pots), the armorist will have the fire res equipment (ring/1500GP, Garudo town slut outfit/1000GP, bracelet/1500GP; I buy an outfit without a second question).
 
Back in the inn, Druss erects the tent for us all. Because of the poor sleep before, I fall to sleep right after entering my room, face first on the floor. Druss has a vision from the Great Russet Sovereign Amberfern.
In the morning, the coffee is burnt and tepid. We load up on the barge and we’re off to see the access point. We see an assortment of large figures made up of whitish-bluish material, and a fire vagina soaring up into the sky. Some appear to be water elementals, but others are ice elementals.
 
END SESSION
INSP Inventory: INSP, +d6, +d6, +d6