Adventure Three, Session Sixteen

INT. LONG HOUSE CIVIC CENTER, TARSEL - DAY
When we last left our heroes, they had just defeated the Glabrezu Yanexiglava, sending the demon's remains back to the Abyss through its rapidly closing (now sealed) portal. The fourteen or so remaining townsfolk were freed from their bonds, and they instantly set about putting their lives back together (while mourning their lost, naturally). It seems the mayor of the village was one of those who were sacrificed to whatever demonic force Yanexiglava was attempting to marshal into our world, and as such the villagers were quick to debate who should take his place. For their part, the newly freed (and actual) Figley and Yordle set about thanking the party for their heroic acts, and also explained in full what led to the attempted extraplanar invasion...
It seems Figley had not randomly chosen to live in the "middle of nowhere." Turns out he was part of an early warning system of sorts, working in league with the Brotherhood of the Weave, to seek out signs of Lentokki activity in the west. He began to hear rumors of a massive movement of evil forces in the east and attempted to gather additional information through his normal channels. Apparently, the Lentokki, having anticipated such prying, had proceeded with much caution, going so far as to eliminate many of Figley's contacts. The desperate mage turned to the blackest magic in order to discover what was truly happening across the sea in Golthien. He, along with the assistance of his apprentice Yordle, summoned one of the Abyss' lieutenants, the glabrezu Yanexiglava. Despite Yanexiglava having one foot in our world, the mage was protected by a circular "seal" that kept the demon at bay. If Figley assumed that the Lentokki would be working with their usual dark agents (the demons) to spread their will across the lands, he was quickly surprised to discover that the demon had no knowledge of any Lentokki activity. Even when Yordle applied the "truth nails" to the beast, its answer remained the same. The Lentokki must be working with some other force... something even more powerful than the arch demon...
Unfortunately, as he continued to apply the truth nails, Yordle accidentally broke the salt circle protecting he and his master from the Glabrezu. This disruption allowed the demon egress into our world... and the resulting chaos ensued. However, before Figley could be captured by Yanexiglava and his Dretch minions, he managed to write the beast's true name down in his journal... a journal he hid in a secret compartment, only to be later discovered (on accident) by Mangy.
After finishing his tale, and (hopefully) fully instilling the potential Lentokki menace in the minds of the party members, Figley told the PCs that he wished to reward them with "trifles" for their service to his cause. He invited them to return to his tower in order to bestow upon them several boons.
Once at the tower, the PCs were gifted with several magical items including: 3 doses of Sovereign Glue (which binds anything it touches after being allowed to "set" for one minute. The ensuing bind can only be broken by either a Wish spell or the "Universal Solvent"), 3 doses of Universal Solvent (the aforementioned oil that remains the only way, short of a Wish, to undo the bonds of the Sovereign Glue), and finally an Iron Flask containing the soul of a Succubus (the conditions of her capture are that, upon her release, she must serve the PCs in any reasonable manner for up to an hour before returning to her home plane).
After being presented with these rare treasures, the party was invited to sleep under the roof of the surviving town's cleric, who tended to their wounds while they rested. That night, as the rest of the party slept, Warren used his magical telepathy to mentally connect with one of his "contacts" back in Lentokk, in order to see if he could glean any more information on the subject. Unfortunately, he was met with essentially the same answer. The Lentokki have upped their game and have begun eliminating underworld informants with any knowledge of their movements or activities.
Before going to bed, Teffa transformed into a horse and scouted the area, only to find a giant Roc in the sky. She quckly retreated back to the relative safety of the home containing her friends. And they all went to sleep...
The party was woken early by a knock at their door. It was Yordle, coming to warn them that "riders bearing the colors of Varuum" were approaching. They asked him if they could procure some horses in order to leave ahead of the riders, and Yordle set to the task. Unfortunately, it was quickly clear that he would not have their mounts ready before the riders arrived. The party moved to the tavern nearby. Most of the PCs, including Clickwild and Naiya, were sent to the root cellar to hide, while Tomison and Warren turned Invisible to watch, and Guy assumed the form of a "standard villager" and sat at the bar.
The riders soon entered the village, and the PCs topside quickly determined that their leader was none other than the captain of the royal guard, Tithlan. He was accompanied by five of his "Red Turbans," the finest warriors in all Varuum. Before they entered the tavern, the PCs formed a loose plan. Guy transformed himself to appear as Naiya, under which disguise he could determine their intentions without jeopardizing the inheritrix herself.
Tithlan and his men entered the tavern and seemed genuinely relieved to see Naiya at the bar. Tithlan bowed deep and quickly explained that he came bearing a royal decree, signed by her father, demanding the inheritrix's immediate return to the capitol. It seemed her father's condition had taken a turn for the worse, and his days were clearly numbered. Warren read Tithlan's mind, seeking out the truth behind his intentions, and gladly reported (telepathically) to the others that the captain was sincere. Tithlan stuck to his royal duties and demanded that Naiya return with him, and without her "mercenaries" (the PCs). Guy (as Naiya) negotiated with him for some time, and those topside began to notice a shift within the captain. He seemed weak. Sweaty and pale. He was clearly in some form of pain. After questioning, he divulged that he was given his royal orders via letter sealed with the royal stamp. He'd not seen or known who specifically sent the order. Further, the orders came with several vials of a potion that would "aid him in his attempt to locate the inheritrix." He and his five riders all took the potions, and now Tithlan was beginning to feel that he was betrayed.
As his condition worsened, his attitude changed. It was almost as if he was working out the deception in real time. Tithlan turned to (fake) Naiya and told her to "run!" The bodies of Tithlan and his men slowly began to transform, warping into some unknown form. Guy and the others topside called for those down below, and once they came to the surface, the group quickly headed outside. Tesken went to check on the horses, which still needed a few minutes before they would be ready - there were three horses: two hitched to a wagon, and one to ride beside it.
Tithlan and his men tried to fight what was happening to them, but to no avail. They went to their horses and suddenly their mutating bodies enveloped their own mounts as well! The Red Turbans "melted" into globular beasts, fused at the molecular level with their own horses. The resulting creatures were a mockery of their previous forms. Part men, part horses. All very large and dangerous. These creatures leapt forward to attack the PCs, and Tithlan's final word (before he was overtaken by whatever monstrous force mutilated his body) was once again... RUN!
The party didn't need any other excuse to do so. They quickly made for the stables, holding off the attacking mutants along the way. Tomison even struck several of the abominations with a bolt of Lightning, which was instantly absorbed by the creatures and seemed to make them even stronger!
Finally, just as the wagon was ready for departure, it looked as if the creatures would overtake them. But at that dire moment, Clickwild jumped forth and spread his arms unnaturally wide, blocking their path. He yelled for them to keep going, as the mutants all clambered to destroy him. Naiya screamed that she wouldn't leave without her magister, just as the creatures ripped Clickwild's body apart. His large telescope of a head hit the dirt, and Naiya demanded that they retrieve it. She even went for it herself, only to be restrained by Guy and Sendry. Guy then decided to make a run for it, to grab Clickwild's head. When he ran, Naiya pulled herself free from Sendry, slipping out of her cloak in the process.
Once Naiya realized that Guy indeed retrieved the head, she ran back to the wagon with the others. She seemed especially freaked out that she lost her cloak in the process, as if it were some precious thing, and tersely yanked it back from Sendry. A moment later, they were all on the wagon or horses (Teffa turned into a warhorse in order to take Tesken's weight) and on their way. They made a quick escape from the town, as the mutants dropped to all fours and gave pursuit.
The party swung west, then south, entering The Wastes of Veric, where Naiya assumed no one would expect she would travel. Fortune shined upon the party, and they soon lost all sight of their pursuers (hopefully losing them for good). Once deep enough into the desert where their mounts and wagon would do no more good, they released the horses and set forth on foot. Their plan was to head for the rift in the Wyrmcrest Mountains to the southeast, where they hoped to find a boat in some small village that would allow them to travel the Zarna river into Qudra. From there they would cut back northeast to Sage.
After traveling for many days and exhausting their resources, the party finally came upon a small village wedged in the gap at the Wyrmcrest mountain pass. Before entering however, Teffa decided to scout ahead. She took the form of a house cat and entered the village.
It was eerily quiet in the small settlement. Only ten building, five on each side of a "major" thoroughfare, comprised the village, and no settlers were in sight. Of course, it was the crack of dawn, but still... After scouting for some time, Teffa saw a man exit a building that seemed to be either a bakery or a butchers shop and cross the street to enter what appeared to be a constabulary. What such a small village would need with a constabulary was still unknown. Teffa pressed forth, and at the far end of town, right were the mountain pass loomed before her, was a sign that indicated "mines" lay ahead.
Teffa passed the sign and found a strange field nestled between the sides of the mountains. The ground of this field was sodden and above it floated a thick green fog that occasionally burst upward in places like natural geysers. Was this some sort of gas mine?
Teffa returned to the remaining party and gave her report. With few other options on the table, the party decided to press forth and enter this strange new village...
To be Continued...