Adventure Three, Session Eleven

EXT. VARUUMAE CORONA - DAY
When we last left our heroes, they had just escaped the secret lair of the beholder Xaxmenethan, hidden within the gambling hall known as "The Gilded Anchor." As the PCs made it outside, Mangy hailed a carriage just in time to avoid the "real" Club Masters (those that the party was previously impersonating) who were quickly pursuing them. Unfortunately, they had to leave Adi behind.
However, fortune shined upon them as the returned to the docks only to find "The Doubtful" approaching from the harbor. Signaling the ship, the party managed to reconnect with the crew, and once again the ship was docked in West Bay. After helping the unconscious "bear-man" to an unoccupied room in the bilge, the party quickly retired to their quarters for some much needed rest...
INT. HUT, ORIGINS UNKNOWN - DAY
After a good, long sleep, the party suddenly awakened in utter darkness. As each member reached for the oil lantern hanging from the wall, they quickly realized two things. First, they were not in the same room as they were upon going to bed. Second, they were all in this strange room together! Teffa cast Produce Flame, illuminating the room, which was, to their eyes, most certainly not where they once were.
The room was large and circular, roughly thirty feet across, with fabric walls that tapered to a point at the ceiling. Essentially a hut or a yurt. They were all their, and in addition, so was another... A minotaur... A female minotaur crew member from the Doubtful. One the party had only spoken to in passing. Why was she here? She didn't seem to know. Her name was Tesken Carefulmind, and she quickly became "bonded in battle," so to speak, with the remainder of the party.
Just as they had a moment to take in the room, someone addressed them from outside a tiny cloth flap (signifying the entrance to the hut). This man, Asbadi Aluuhan, politely requested entrance, which the party tentatively gave. The flap opened, revealing a Southron man in probably his early 50's, with a warm and inviting face plastered with a smile. He quickly explained that the party's "horses were ready" as well as "the package to be delivered to the Grand Hassir in Varuumae Corona."
As he spoke, the party began to feel a sense of deja vu, back to the time when they were transported, in some sort of bizarre fugue-state, thousands of years into the past in order to witness the fall of the Methanok Empire at the battle of Meeros Tilva. In fact, Temerity's eyes were once again SOLID BLACK, as they were in the previous "dream" occurrence. The party cautiously asked Asbadi for more information, and he explained that they were to take The Tapestry of Meeros Tilva to the Grand Hassir, who would then take it for safe keeping, thus relieving the party (and Asbadi's people) of their responsibility.
And what of Asbadi and his people? It seemed, as before, the party somehow simply knew things (facts, history) about them. It seemed that Asbadi was part of a nomadic tribe of wanderers known as the Simbali. The Simbali once had a permanent home, but it was destroyed several thousand years ago by the Emperor Razen Diatrassi (see Aar Tethlan & the Fall of Methanok) , and since then they decided to never permanently settle anywhere again. Somehow the PCs also knew that they were now members of this tribe, and that Temerity held a position of honor amongst their people. It seemed the spice merchants from the previous fugue, the ones entrusted with the tapestry at the battle of Meeros Tilva, were members of the Simbali. Asbadi explained that only one of the merchants survived the battle, securing the tapestry and bringing it back to the Simbali to protect. And Temerity, it seemed, was the direct descendant of this lone Simbali hero.
Asbadi excused himself to check on the horses, giving the party a moment to reflect upon their current situation. They knew that perhaps this was all just a dream, but there was also a chance that their actions would have severe consequences on the future. They decided to go along with Asbadi's plan and deliver the tapestry to the Grand Hassir.
The Simbali man returned moments later in a hurry. "The Enemy," as he called it, was nearly upon them! Sendry looked outside the yurt. Sure enough, a dust cloud trailing a multitude of BLACK RIDERS was rapidly closing the distance to the camp. Hundreds of men, women and children were quickly disassembling their own huts and yurts, preparing to ride. Asbadi explained the plan. He would lead his people south, while the party took the tapestry north. As of yet, the enemy did not know they were intent upon bringing it to Varuumae Corona. It's likely, he also said, that they still didn't know that the city was specifically trapped inside the tapestry itself. They only knew that it was transported somewhere, and likely into a pocket dimension contained in some "item."
The party requested a carriage or wagon, in order to transport some of their party not suited for riding (such as Tesken and Tomison). Asbadi barely managed to get the wagon hitched in time for them to still escape prior to the arrival of the enemy. Temerity took the tapestry, packed on the horse with her belongings, while Asbadi handed over a map (charting the eighty mile journey to Varuumae Corona) to Sendry. The two of them would take the lead, with the others riding in the wagon behind them, driven by Teffa. As quickly as possible, they set off...
Watching the road behind them, they witnessed the enemy overtake the location where the Simbali had been only moments before. The nomads headed south, as was the plan, and managed to kick up a huge dust cloud in their wake, effectively concealing the party from the enemy... if only for a few moments. Unfortunately, the black riders were not alone. Above them, just below the clouds, few a dragon-like beast (likely a wyvern) with a human rider upon its back. This duo acted as a sort of sentry, flying before the black riders and scouting the Simbali. It didn't take long for the wyvern to notice the PCs. It diverted its course to approach and possibly intercept them.
The map took the party up through a craggy mountain pass, one with but a single narrow road (and a long fall) to get them through. Save for the wagon, the PCs were forced to ride single file, with Sendry taking the lead, followed by Temerity, and finally the wagon. The long and winding mountain pass took them around many bends, and for a time, they thought they might have lost the wyvern and rider. Unfortunately, then the beast reemerged, hot on their trail...
A plan was formed. The party stopped the horses and set about casting spells at the very side of the mountain behind them. Their Thunder Waves and Eldritch Blasts shook the very rocks loose, creating something of an avalanche (albeit a somewhat small one) that essentially blocked the path behind them. They figured that the wyvern was just a sentry for the black riders, and this would at least impede their progress. Unfortunately, and although Teffa took measures to calm them, some of the horses were spooked by the falling rocks. Most, the PCs managed to calm, but Temerity's horse (the one with the tapestry bolted to it) darted off, galloping at full speed down the path ahead. As the rest of the party set about finishing their tiny rock slide, Sendry took off on his own horse, in pursuit of the one that escaped.
Sendry pushed his horse, attempting to keep up with the lost stallion. He followed it bend after bend, turn after turn, until suddenly...
He pulled his horse to an immediate stop. Just in time! Before him was Temerity's ride, lying on its side in the middle of the path, it's body covered in writhing black tentacles that seemed to sprout from the rocky ground itself! Some of the tentacles were even flowing over the tapestry itself. Sendry dismounted and threw himself at the mass of inky black limbs, attempting to destroy them.
The rest of the party made it around the bend in time to see Sendry wrestle with the tentacles, eventually becoming entwined with them and pinned. Everyone else began to also assault the tentacles. Some even going to recover the tapestry. Mangy looked up and noticed the wyvern and rider, perched on the rocks above, fifty feet up. He quickly shot a Lightning Bolt at them, striking both rider and wyvern. The rider instantly responded by simply pointing a finger at Mangy, who's heart suddenly seized up, doubling him over and nearly killing him. The rider, it seemed, was some sort of mage. One with the power to kill with simply a gesture and a word. Mangy narrowly avoided death at his hands (finger).
The fight raged on, now with some of the party attacking the wyvern and rider as well. Teffa managed to get off a good shot, calling lightning down from the clouds upon the rider, who fell from his mount. But instead of crashing to the rocks below, the mage (actually a necromancer) cast a spell and instantly stopped falling. He now floated about twenty feet up, glowering at the PCs.
It seemed every time the party managed to destroy a tentacle, two would take its place. And they were no closer to retrieving the tapestry. By this time, the poor horse was dead, strangled by the tentacles. As they continued to fight against the magically produced limbs, Tomison shot a Magic Missile, striking the already wounded necromancer in the heart. The mage plunged to the ground below, crashing hard upon the rocky road. But somehow he was still not dead. Mangy slowly approached the mage, ready to strike. But before he could, and thankfully before the mage could point another finger at him, a second Magic Missle struck forth, ending the necromancer's life. With his death, so went the tentacles. They fell from the horse, turning to a thick black paste on the rocks.
The party decided to loot the necromancer. They fought a bit over who would get first dibs. Around this time, Temerity had a thought, as if implanted in her head by some unknown force. "What, if anything, do you want? What would assist you and your friends?" She quickly had her answer.
As the others rushed for the necromancer's corpse, hoping to find hidden treasures, they all suddenly disappeared. The entire party blinked out of existence. Poof!
What seemed like a split second later, they emerged in a FLASH right outside the gates of Hassakhan House (the palace of the Grand Hassir) in Varuumae Corona. They were also INVISIBLE. Temerity had "wished" to be taken to the palace and to be invisible for the journey. Thus here they were. She then "wished" for entrance into the gates. Instantly the invisibility ended.
The palace guards, the ones at the gates at least, seemed incredibly shocked to see the PCs simply materialize out of thin air. But before they could protest, a tall man, walking with a cane, approached the gates from the inside, intent on greeting the party. The party was thus introduced to the court magician to the Grand Hassir, Nazeer Khair ed din.
Nazeer had expected the party, and in turn they had been instructed to bring the tapestry to him by Asbadi to begin with. Nazeer waved his hands and the gate opened. He very politely, checked upon their wounds, all of which were magically eliminated during the teleportation to the palace. He then escorted the party indoors, and to the throne room of Grand Hassir Seritan Arabata I, the very first Hassir in Varuum's history (thus placing the party roughly 1,400 years in the past). The PCs presented the tapestry to Nazeer, who spread it out upon a table in the throne room.
He explained that their burden was now ended. That he and the Grand Hassir would now protect the tapestry, as would their heirs... for all time. He further explained that he would place the tapestry in a specially designed "box," fastened with a lock that could only be opened with a special key. He then produced the key for the party to see. It was large and made of stone (stay away Mangy!), and Nazeer told them it would be entrusted to the final member of their conspiracy to protect Meeros Tilva, The High Custodian of The Tower of Light. Thus the Custodians would have the key, while the Grand Hassir would retain the box and tapestry.
The party decided to trust Nazeer with the truth. They told him that they had traveled through time. That they were actually different people simply inhabiting the bodies or identities of the ancient Simbali he saw before him. Shockingly, Nazeer instantly believed them, promising to keep their secret safe.
As Nazeer spoke, revealing more information about himself, he told them a secret... a personal aside about himself. It seemed he wished the key to be held by The Custodians, specifically because he would always be a target of outside interests. For it seemed, he was once a member of The Boorka, and the Boorka do not let members leave (at least not on good terms). The PCs soon made a possible connection. Didn't Vandergraff tell them that Magister Clickwild, the inheritrix's aide, was once a Boorka that served some previous Grand Hassir? Could Nazeer and the giant construct be one in the same? Without telling him too much of his potential future, they told him to look out for them in several thousand years. Unfortunately, Nazeer explained, his knowledge of their time journey was too dangerous to retain, and thus he would wipe his memory of them upon their departure.
He said, however, he would attempt to leave a sign for them. Something they could use in their own place and time. He mentioned something about a "riddle" protecting the box (soon to house the tapestry). He was about to reveal the answer to the riddle, when suddenly...
POOF!
INT. PRIVATE CABINS, THE DOUBTFUL - LATE AFTERNOON
The party once again awoke. Now back in their original cabins aboard the Doubtful, seemingly having rested from their previous adventure at the Gilded Anchor. They also all heard an excitable voice outside their rooms. It was Adi! She'd made it back! Confused, they all left their respective cabins and met on the quarterdeck. It was now late in the afternoon on the day of their departure with Naiya to Sage. They had but a few hours left before their rendezvous with the inheritrix. Adi explained that she escaped the gambling hall in the confusion caused by the enormous flood of animals upon the main floor. Apparently, she also absconded with a few stolen items. Gifts for the party, it would seem.
She presented them with two necklaces and an amulet. Warren performed a ritual to Identify the items, after Teffa determined that they were indeed magical in nature. While he was performing this, Teffa set about to check upon the "bear-man" (now positively identified as a werebear!). She opened the door to his cabin, only to find a tiny male halfling in place of the might werebear that they previously escorted into the room. Teffa left, allowing the sleeping halfling to further recover. When she made it back to the other PCs, Warren had just completed his ritual.
It seemed the amulet was known as an "Awakening Medallion," a device that once placed around an object, imbued it with sentient life (and ambulation). The two necklaces, in turn, were magically linked as a pair. They were called "Necklaces of Shared Strife." If both necklaces were worn by different people, then whenever one took any sort of damage, the other would share in it, effectively halving the damage to the victim (sharing the other half with the wearer of the sister necklace).
Sendry set off to check in on his poisoned dagger at the magical shoppe known as "The Travelers of the Mind." He also retrieved Mangy's flying carpet (Belia). He was informed that the dagger produced an endless supply of poison (the nature of which was still unknown), and that unfortunately they couldn't repair Belia without possibly destroying her life force and personality.
So it was, back upon the Doubtful, that the party prepared to meet with Vandergraff (to deliver the head of Garvistan) before then traveling back to Hassakhan House to begin their journey with the inheritrix herself...