29 October Session

Arrokokra settlements = located in Mistcliff
89 days left before Seandra gets got
NOTES:
We wake up to the sound of shrieking and screaming and clamoring. There are footsteps in the hall. Malith tries to open the door to peek out, but she hears a thud as it sort of opens. The door is blocked. Bodies are rushing downstairs out of the hallway; everyone is trying to leave their rooms at once and run out. Lanister looks out his room window and sees people flooding through the streets all running in one direction. Lani sees what looks to be a triceratops surrounded by velociraptors barrelling through the street as it tries to escape getting eaten. There is a brand on all of the animals. This indicates that it is owned. Elara puts on a set of fine clothing and transforms. Malith and Darvati hears, "Sillytooth escaped! Several other dinos have escaped. Run!" Then we hear the crashing of wood crumbling beneath extensive pressure outside. We're on the second floor.
Freya - opens window and flies out after grabbing her longbow. On this street, a triceratops is fighting several velociraptors. As she goes around, she sees an alley, blood splashing from it. The streets are a riot. There are trampled corpses littering the cobblestones.
Lanister - jumps out of the window and lands directly on top of an older man. His face cracks against the ground, blood spilling from him. Lani gets a warm sensation of triumph.
Darvati - grabs trident and jumps out the window. He also lands on someone - a young woman, 19 years of age. Her skull hits the ground, her neck cracks. She dies. Darvati expresses regret. He fights his way to the side of the street, then pushes forward.
Tama - sticks her head out of the window and whistles for her lizard mount. From the stable, her lizard peeks his head out of the window. She jumps out with her 2 handaxes, uses them to propel her up the wall and into the stable, then mounts her lizard upside down.
Malith - puts on her leather armor and makes an ice weapon for herself.
Elara - her and her puppet shoot out the window trying not to hit anyone. She falls face-first but doesn't land on anyone. The puppet catches a wind current, hovering just above the crowd. It is supporting itself with crowdgoers. Elara stands and dashes forward.
Those of us far back in the crowd hear a scream, and the crowd begins to run back into itself. A pregnant woman and several children are surrounded by raptors and Sillytooth.
Freya - flies over Sillytooth's head and admonishes him. He is enraged but entranced and stalled for a single turn as it is now confused.
Lanister - greases, knocks a T-rex prone
Elara - uses Burning Hands and vaporizes a raptor
The triceratops gores a raptor into the wall. Viscera and guts abound. Green raptor bites into the triceratops.
Malith - calls a primal spirit
Tama - jumps down screaming, "Be vanquished!" and cuts the raptor in half until the midpoint
Darvati - makes his way through the crowd, yelling, "Protect the kids!" Then he swings at the blue raptor with his trident. He skewers and grapples it.
One of the children tries to make a run for the crowd. The T-rex chomps at it but misses. Blue raptor crits Darvati and misses his second attack. Yellow raptor attacks the triceratops.
Freya - swoops down, grabs the child, and gets him out of harm's way. Casts Hunter's Mark on T-Rex
Lanister - hits Sillytooth and has artifice bird attack
Elara - casts Dissident Whispers on raptor to Frighten it
The raptor moves to run away. Triceratops gores it and slams it into a paste. It turns to the next raptor, launches it into the air, and smashes it to bits against the ground. Then it turns toward Elara and puppet.
Malith - attacks Sillytooth with her ice javelin
Tama - attacks Sillytooth non-lethally
Sillytooth fruitlessly attacks the primordial weapon. Then his attempt to tail-whip Lanister badly fails. The pregnant woman determines it's not safe to move.
Darvati - kills the raptor he was grappling and switches to punching Sillytooth
Freya - takes a potshot at Sillytooth and kills him, then flies away
Lanister - casts aid, has bird fly to Elara
Elara - casts cure wounds on triceratops to calm it
As everyone realizes things are calmer, Tama kneels down next to Sillytooth. The pregnant woman collapses next to Tama. She helps deliver a silent baby. The mother passes out from the pain. The stillborn exhibits the effects of the Death Curse. Tama cleans the infant and gives it a blessing. Legbreakers approach Elara and offers her 50 gold for keeping the triceratops alive.
Legbreakers: You've done phenomenally. The merchant princes will thank you.
JF: I'm so proud to have heroes staying in my establishment. Please, drinks on me. I guess you'll be going. We've got some repairs to do. Is there anything else you need to know before you go out on your mission?
River and Flask are cheaper (4 gold a day + 30-day advance) but are not sanctioned, so traveling with them could give us trouble with the merchant princes. Ferul and Gondola had a meeting with us in the morning. The benefit of them is that there's two of them that are kind of combat-oriented. Hackenstone is crazy, but not as crazy as Mushareeb. Hackenstone will lead you to your death against that dragon. Mushareeb might also lead you on a perilous journey. Azaka Stormfang is one of the more combat-oriented guides. Kiku is shamanistic who knows a lot about Cholt and a lot about the jungle. There is also Salida. She's more cloak-and-dagger than Azaka, but she's largely a woman of mystery. She typically gets her job done.
Malith goes to meet Ferul and Gondola.
G: You look like the adventuring sort. Do you need a guide?
M: We talked last night.
G: Did we agree on a price?
M: You said you would give me a discount.
G: Well, how about this? I'll waive the four weeks up front and make it two weeks so you can get started now.
M: You said you knew about the mythical bones of the green dragon.
G: Yeah, that's how we're trying to take our money back. Leave us the scraps. The treasure is the horde of a dragon. I can't divulge my sources on this unless you travel with me.
F: The other guides will get you lost and make you do all the work. Why not have two and a triceratops?
Tama: I think we should keep our options open and talk to the others.
M: We're going to take the day to think about it. Let's go see the mysterious lady. She's mysterious.
L: Just like you.
M: I'm an open book. I'll tell you anything you want to know.
We seek out Salida.
Salida: I know what you're here for. I can tell. I heard about what you did. You can spend your gold how you like. I've led many expeditions through Cholt, and I know secret trails. Azaka and Iku have led expeditions that have never returned. *She continues to disparage the other guides.* 5 gold pieces a day is a cheap price to pay for your lives. Spend your gold wisely.
M: By secret trails unmapped, what do you mean? Are we sight-seeing? Are there points of interest?
S: I can navigate through the jungle in a quicker, more efficient path. Simple as that.
T: She sounds promising.
M: Very well. We'll be back.
We approach Mushareeb.
Mush: The heroes of the hour. Dinosaurs escaping isn't uncommon, but I do wonder what happened. My pitch: I know you're here to discuss guide services. The jungle is my home. I can guide you anywhere for 5 pieces a day. Join my quest to save my old volcanic forge. If you are dwarvenkind, hear my plea. I will waive my fee if you agree to assist me here. The Gauntlet means more to me than anything.
E: We have limited time before our archmage dies.
Mush: Dwarven weapons would provide you an advantage in the rest of your quest.
E: How much time would the journey to get there take?
Mush: If we moved quickly, two weeks. If not, a month.
We seek out Aku. She's a middle-aged woman who has an orange bandanna, dreads, several dinosaur-teeth necklaces, and gauged tribal earrings.
Aku: Ah, the Vanquisher's crew. Pillaging is not what I'm after when I offer my guide services. I seek to rid the jungle of evil. There are temples that must be reclaimed for the good spirits. My rates are 5 gold pieces a day with a 30-day advance, part of which I give to charity.
Malith: These ruins that you speak of, how good at you are locating them?
Aku: I've mapped out a fair amount of them in my head and know where to go. I'm also a qualified explorer. Should we come upon ruins, I would ask that we purify them.
There are river parasites, so don't drink from the rivers. We'll need insect repellent to prevent from diseases. We describe the temple from our vision to Aku and ask if she's familiar.
Aku: I myself am not, but I might know others who do. There's a lot of people who are more knowledgeable than me when it comes to things like this.
Malith: Could you point us in the direction of these people if we hired you?
Aku: Yes, your hands become mine as long as you don't do anything evil. If you were not to hire me, it would cost 3 gold a day for 2 weeks, so 42 total. She'll do it for 2 gold a day over 4 weeks.
We go see Azaka Stormfang.
Stormfang: I was born in the jungle and know its dangers well as well as how to avoid them. I charge 5 gold per day and require 30-day advance. I have a personal quest. I will waive my fee if we go to FireFinger, the pterodactyl folk. I want my wooden mask back.
Her hair is slightly fiery red, her face scarred. She wears tribal clothing with hide armor and weapons.
Malith: You'd have to tell us the location. About how long of a journey would that be?
Stormfang: It would take six days.
**Sailing around the coast would take a week and a half to get to the forge volcano.
We seek out Wokangu. Several guards stand in front of the doors and allow us to enter. An attendant, Tamir, brings us to the throne room where Wokangu sits talking to and playing chess with Seandra. Elara and Malith approach.
Malith: We are getting ready for a journey and heard you are the merchant prince for magical items.
W: I can assist. What are you looking for?
Elara: I want to get a cloak that I can change my outfits with.
W: An expensive item. What's your budget?
Elara: 100 gold.
W: I think you need to look somewhere else.
Malith: Do you have any items that allow you to communicate over a great distance, say 500 miles?
W: Yes, I do. What's your budget?
Malith: I would say it depends on the item you're trying to help us with, just know we consider it of high importance.
W: I could procure a pair of items, each 1,000 gold, so 2,000 total. Once a day, you can say something and the other person can reply, no matter the distance. If the person holding it dies, you will know. There is no rental system. If I can help someone and stand to gain something, I will.
We go to the Beggars Palace. We are unaccosted as we enter the Old City, though there are thugs who would usually attack us. We approach the two biggest ziggarauts. Bamboo is all over them, supporting it and growing everywhere. People walk in and out with various wares; it's extremely crowded. Everyone claps at Elara's juggling act. Tomato approaches.
Tomato: Elara, it's good to see you! Did you hear about what happened over near the Thundering Lizard? I heard your friends helped.
Malith: Yep, that was us.
Elara: I was helping in the back.
Tomato: Follow me upstairs, just Elara.
Malith notices people going to pickpocket us, but then they realize who the Vanquisher is, stop, and walk away. Elara and Tomato walk up several flight of stairs. There are chutes on each level that let you slide back down. The floors get cleaner and less dirty as they go up. About three-quarters of the way up, Elara is brought into a room. A man sits in a chair draped in tiger furs. Panther furs, bear skins, and mounted heads are spread through the room.
Man: Tomato, what brings you here today?
Tomato: I brought a friend to pay tribute to you, Zathu.
Zathu: The Tiger King welcomes all.
Elara brows.
Zathu: Pay tribute before you ask any questions.
Elara offers a song and dance as well as 10 gold.
Zathu: Well, well, well, interesting. I appreciate it. I haven't ever seen something so spectacular, and I've seen raptors rip a man limb from limb! What brings you here today?
Elara: My party and I are employed by an archmage that is being housed by one of the merchant princes. We are going to attempt to solve the Death Curse and are looking for supporters or information or any help.
Zathu: I don't want the throat leeches getting to you when you're out there exploring. I will say that this curse really hasn't affected my people because they can't afford resurrection. How many people do you have?
Elara: Seven.
Zathu: I will see you have seven rain-catchers.
Elara: We appreciate it very much.
Zathu: What do you know so far?
Elara: We know there's a temple somewhere in the jungle where some kind of black mist is drawn to it.
Zathu: The DC started here, so I imagine it is somewhere here. How did you find this temple?
E: We saw it in visions.
Z: And you believed it? Have you had visions before? Trusting them might not make sense.
E: Someone I know has a mask that can show the blackness that leaves the body.
Z: Ah, you can see the souls leaving people's bodies. That is interesting indeed.
E: I don't want to waste more of your time.
Z: If you need anything, you know where to find me.
When Elara gets downstairs, she gets 7 days' worth of insect repellent and 7 rain catchers. We decide upon Mushareeb as our guide.
Mush: Friends, colleagues, how can I help you?
Lani: No, Mushareeb, how can we help you?
Malith: We'll go with you to the forge.
Mush: It will be liberated at last. Do you have supplies? Do you need my aid in identifying what you need? I advise we buy several cubes of insect repellent for each of you, enough for 28 days. I recommend you spend 2 gold for gourds/vials. If we purchase a canoe, we can cut down our journey by 12 days. Then we'll have a five-day quick walk or 10-day standard walk to the forge. Canoes are 50 gold and holds up to six medium creatures. We should have everything we need unless you need to buy weapons, armor, or shields. If you plan to wear anything heavier than leather or hide, you may overheat and perish.
We purchase several supplies to prepare. As we stand at the gates about to leave, a man staggers through after handing gold to the guard. He walks up to Lanister and puts his hands on him.
Man: Seek wisdom at Orh-lunga. She can direct you to that which you seek. Speak to the wise guardian west of Mumbala.
Then he collapses dead. Lanister closes the corpse's eyes. He has been dead for several days, like 25. He has somehow been preserved, but there are some things you can't properly preserve. Some sort of magic gave him consciousness until he finished a goal. Malith pockets something heavy and sharp with several angles from her pickpocketing.
Guards: How did this corpse get in here?
Guard 2: I let that guy in
Guards: 50 lashes for that man.
As we continue stepping into the forest, Malith discovers she got a bright green diamond. There are little symbols inside of it; it likely has a purpose.
Mushareeb: We can go there after the liberation. We take a day's walk to the river. We are about to put our canoes into the water when we hear the beat of wings. Mushareeb hears it first and says, "Guys, be at your ready. I think we're going to be accosted by something." Just as he finishes speaking, there is a flash. Several flying monkeys have swooped down and are dive-bombing for another object.
Mush: You know, these things are regularly captured and trained. I have never seen adventurers dispose of these critters so quickly. I have seen people capture them and train them to perform tricks, but they are sneaky. Freya recovers her arrow, Darvati retrieves his quarterstaff, and Lani recovers his spear. We all take a deep breathe and release. Upon release, we feel more equipped. Maybe this jungle won't take us, maybe we'll take the jungle. LEVEL 3 ACHIEVED.