Session 18: The Dead Village
General Summary
As afternoon took hold of the village of Saricho, the majority of the party assembled on the sand dunes above the settlement.
Frar confronted Bai Sen in her ship, and after interrogating the latter as to her hatred of knowledge and adventure, which struck a chord with Frar, Bai Sen became defensive and strongly suggested she leave. Before leaving, however, Frar learnt of Grandpa Toko’s importance in the maintenance of the village. There was a clear sadness in her voice.
Nydyr’s attempt to creep into the door behind Bai Sen’s makeshift throne went very poorly, as the leader’s exceptionally keen eye spotted him. He made a semi-sufficient excuse and exited the building behind Frar. Outside, Nydyr and Balasar sought out an answer to another of the village’s conundrums – where they got water from. After looking around for a moment, they noticed an expanding patch of wet sand at the base of Bai Sen’s boat. Upon knocking down the wall, surprisingly not arousing the attention of two young women in an adjacent ship, the two discovered a chamber full of dried fruits, water, grain, cured meats, and spices. In addition to these supplies, which Balasar gathered for later use, they found three other curious things: a small painting, a diary, and a large sun dial.
Upon examining this painting, Nydyr and Balasar observed that the two people in it resembled Bai Sen and Shin, however Bai Sen appeared remarkably younger. Balasar stashed the portrait in his many-pocketed robe. The primitive clock sat on the ground, approximately four feet in diameter. The hands moved too slowly for it to be a regular clock, however, and as they watched it, they realised that it measured a year exactly. Lastly, Nydyr read the diary, which told them that ‘in two days, the cycle will repeat, but I fear my cycle is ending.’
Balasar took the supplies to the hill and fed Silvia, making small conversation with her. She appeared to be notably afraid. Balasar was a big softy and tried to comfort her. Moses, disguised as Shin, found several items in an old woman’s house, including old pickled meat, stale bread, and brown rice. Devis and Ekxus found two maps, one of which showed tidal currents, and the other a map of an unknown river.
The party discussed the painting, ruminating on why exactly Bai Sen appeared so much younger and Shin looked the same, and why Bai Sen had such a stock of food. On the sand dune above the village, Aries and Ekxus woke Shin from his unconscious slumber and showed him the painting. Shin did not recognise it and became alarmed when the party suggested he may, in fact, be dead. With further interrogation (Aries could not detect a pulse), Shin became paranoid and repeated the phrase ‘I’m alive’ while rocking back and forth, wide-eyed. Frar, Ekxus, and Nydyr went to Grandpa Toko’s home and asked him about the cycle and the diary.
At first, Toko was resistance to the group, slamming the door on them and repeatedly telling them to leave. Finally, though, they presented the necromancy book they had stolen from Mad Mencken in The Twitch. This intrigued Toko, who ushered them inside his smoke-filled boat. Frar searched the book and found a particular passage entailing that ‘living hearts pump dead hearts. To stop one is to stop the other’. Toko revealed to the party that he and Bai Sen were indeed the only living souls in Saricho. Forty years ago, the river they had sailed on dried up, leaving them stranded. Bai Sen and Toko, her father, stored supplies for themselves as they watched men, women, and children starve and die. It was also discovered that Toko was the only person able to enter the chamber in the large boat, due to his small size. Reading this passage, Toko was prepared to die for his past mistakes, and to finally settle the souls of the villagers.
They returned with Toko to Bai Sen’s boat, where they showed her the passage in the book. Reluctantly, the group slayed Toko and Bai Sen, as painlessly as possible, and the village’s curse was lifted, the villagers turning into sand before their very eyes.
Leaving the village, Moses wrote his name on one boat’s wall. Frar set a torch to the settlement, as a sacrifice to her patron.
The party got back on their dinosaurs and flew across the Esteban desert for a while, towards their destination of Bel Tocino. Moses spoke to Silvia about what they’ll do with her, and she showed him some fake identities she’d been working on, including a deep-voiced man named Robert.
They flew for several hours, before spotting a giant sandstone statue in the desert below, legs and torso separated. They party decided to rest themselves and their dinosaurs. Frar and Nydyr investigated the statue, eventually concluding that it was an ancient monument to Obrax, the old goddess of life. Nydyr placed the flower he got from Obrax on it. Frar also broke off part of the stone, an action she would later regret.
As Ekxus kept watch, she began to feel the statue itself stirring. To the horror of the group, the enormous monument reformed itself. An epic battle ensued, and Aries went down yet again. They discovered its weak spot was its eye, and after numerous wounds and excessive fall damage, Balasar delivered the final blow.
After this battle, they made their way, tired and hungry, to Bel Tocino, a sprawling tent city of reds, yellows and oranges. The party decided to find Devis’ sister, a psychic named Ester Todek, but before they could find food or shelter, they were approached by a small, brightly dressed goblin. He introduced himself as Birdbrain and presented them with numerous magical and mundane items. The party took an instant liking to him, despite his high prices, and bought a fishbowl, a pipe that blows bubbles, sleeping sand, and a bag of holding. With these purchases, the session came to a close.
Rewards Granted
Ekxus: pipe that blows bubbles
Nydyr: assorted foods, bag of holding
Balasar: assorted foods, small painting
Moses: assorted foods
Devis: spices, maps x 2
Aries: -
Frar: books x 3
Missions/Quests Completed
Solved the mystery of Saricho.
Finally reached Bel Tocino, the halfway point to Viso.
Character(s) interacted with
(not in order): Bai Sen, Shin, unnamed old woman, Grandpa Toko, Birdbrain, unnamed bard in Bel Tocino, unnamed kebab vendor in Bel Tocino
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