Session 023: Under the Moon Cactus
General Summary
We begin with the noble North Wind as they begin poking through the brush surrounding Halitara for the rare moon cactus flower they have been sent to retrieve. They successfully locate a few of the round plants and decide to wait for the flowers to bloom at night before picking. The group sets up camp next to the short cliff holding the cactuses and settle down to wait.
While the sun sets and they wait for the moon to rise, Zenith has a little chat with Mohr. He asks her why she is traveling and what has her out in the world, if she needs him to message someone for her. She admits that she could message those people herself and hasn't, though she isn't clear as to why. It is with this on her mind that Mohr settles down to take the next watch.
She is blindsided by the jabbing pain that lances through her skull and the wave of attackers that follow soon after.
From all around, bug people materialize from the darkness and fade back into it. For a while, the attackers deal some major hurt to the party. That lasts about as long as it takes Aphid to bust out eight giant poisonous snakes. The fight is over pretty quickly after that.
At the end of the fight, the bug people begin to flee. Talasea surprises just about everyone by chasing one of them down and putting a blade to its throat. He shouts his questions at it, why they attacked, where they came from, what they're doing.
It is a surprise once again when the creature responds in Tal's mind. It clicks and waves its antennae as it tentatively shows memories and images and feelings. The creature communicates that they are called thri'kreen. Then shares a memory of being led to the other killed thri’kreen, of tracking the North Wind here. Remembers being out in the desert and hunting and being in their burrows. Remembers being cold, colder than they’re used to, so cold they were gonna die, many thri’kreen conversing, traveling across the desert, feet hurting and body hurting, new burrows in scrublands, hunting in scrublands, being hungry, very, very hungry and not having enough food.
Tal asks if the creature had seen the missing priests. It remembers a flash of them alive in burrows underground, but tries to say no. Talasea lets the creature go.
The group makes sure to harvest three circular white moon cactus flowers while they move the bodies of the thri'kreen they'd killed out of the camp. Then they bed down for the night.
Mohr notices that although there is moonlight to light their activities, she does not see the moon.
The next morning, North Wind heads back to town. They return the donkeys they'd rented. They deliver the flowers to Konane who is pumped to see three of them. She says she needs to keep doing ritual things, but if they still want to come help with the completion, they should be back at sundown. Of course, if they don’t want to come, she tells them, they can just come back in the morning, and they'll all hop over to the Well and come back before end of day.
The group promises they will be back. They pause on their way out to inform Hali, a priest of the Wavekeeper, of the deaths of their fellow priests. The interaction is handled totally smoothly and with a minimum of devastation on Hali's part. They then stop at Marketheart to go sell hides gathered from the thri’kreen’s giant lizards.
And then the group heads to the wealthy part of town. Sunpath. Where the Sylandire manor sits nestled amongst other wealthy homes. They discuss what mischief they plan to bring down on the Sylandires briefly.
But they're not prepared to see Zenith's father leaving the house just as they arrive...
While the sun sets and they wait for the moon to rise, Zenith has a little chat with Mohr. He asks her why she is traveling and what has her out in the world, if she needs him to message someone for her. She admits that she could message those people herself and hasn't, though she isn't clear as to why. It is with this on her mind that Mohr settles down to take the next watch.
She is blindsided by the jabbing pain that lances through her skull and the wave of attackers that follow soon after.
From all around, bug people materialize from the darkness and fade back into it. For a while, the attackers deal some major hurt to the party. That lasts about as long as it takes Aphid to bust out eight giant poisonous snakes. The fight is over pretty quickly after that.
At the end of the fight, the bug people begin to flee. Talasea surprises just about everyone by chasing one of them down and putting a blade to its throat. He shouts his questions at it, why they attacked, where they came from, what they're doing.
It is a surprise once again when the creature responds in Tal's mind. It clicks and waves its antennae as it tentatively shows memories and images and feelings. The creature communicates that they are called thri'kreen. Then shares a memory of being led to the other killed thri’kreen, of tracking the North Wind here. Remembers being out in the desert and hunting and being in their burrows. Remembers being cold, colder than they’re used to, so cold they were gonna die, many thri’kreen conversing, traveling across the desert, feet hurting and body hurting, new burrows in scrublands, hunting in scrublands, being hungry, very, very hungry and not having enough food.
Tal asks if the creature had seen the missing priests. It remembers a flash of them alive in burrows underground, but tries to say no. Talasea lets the creature go.
The group makes sure to harvest three circular white moon cactus flowers while they move the bodies of the thri'kreen they'd killed out of the camp. Then they bed down for the night.
Mohr notices that although there is moonlight to light their activities, she does not see the moon.
The next morning, North Wind heads back to town. They return the donkeys they'd rented. They deliver the flowers to Konane who is pumped to see three of them. She says she needs to keep doing ritual things, but if they still want to come help with the completion, they should be back at sundown. Of course, if they don’t want to come, she tells them, they can just come back in the morning, and they'll all hop over to the Well and come back before end of day.
The group promises they will be back. They pause on their way out to inform Hali, a priest of the Wavekeeper, of the deaths of their fellow priests. The interaction is handled totally smoothly and with a minimum of devastation on Hali's part. They then stop at Marketheart to go sell hides gathered from the thri’kreen’s giant lizards.
And then the group heads to the wealthy part of town. Sunpath. Where the Sylandire manor sits nestled amongst other wealthy homes. They discuss what mischief they plan to bring down on the Sylandires briefly.
But they're not prepared to see Zenith's father leaving the house just as they arrive...
Missions/Quests Completed
Retrieved moon cactus flower
Report Date
07 Jan 2022
Primary Location
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