Zagmira and Yamoch. King of Feathers.
11 Nightal, The Year of Twelve Warnings (1494 DR)
Day 59 of 79
Ruins of Omu, Jungles of Chult
The adventurers run into Zagmira who has three of the puzzle cubes the group needs to enter the Tomb of the Nine Gods. But they also come face to snout with one of the most terrifying monstrosities in all of Chult.
The group rested for an hour before heading north to find the Red Wizards, Zagmira and Yamoch. Both Red Wizards, according to the mercenaries they had spared, may have three puzzle cubes. If that was true, then only one puzzle cube remained. And that was believed to be in the possession of Ras Nsi, leader of the yuan-ti whose temple-lair was said to be located under the ruined palace in the heart of Omu. The adventurers traveled along the main street that ran north to south through the city of Omu. As they walked along the broad street, it became harder to see the ruins to either side of the raised street. A thick fog had rolled in from the south, cutting visibility to within a hundred feet. Everyone was on guard. Atwix, who along with Orvex, Zartan, and Alice, had walked ahead of Nip'hto and Bolte who were following them nearly a hundred feet behind. Atwix suddenly raised his hand to signal everyone to stop. From the north, a group of people suddenly materialized out of the thick fog. All six were human but clearly from various lands of Faerûn. The group was led by two dressed in crimson robes. One was a slender woman, the other a heavy-set male. Both were bald and had tattoos on their shaved heads. The other four were dressed in various makes of leather armor. Each also had a sword and held a loaded heavy crossbow. The woman signaled for her group to stop. She put an arm up and waved at Atwix. "Well met, travelers," she said. "I am Zagmira and this is Yamoch. We are explorers in search of fabled artifacts. May we approach and speak so as not to yell. Gods only know what deadly creatures lurk in this city." Atwix and those with him moved closer. Bolte and Nip'hto hid and readied their bows. Atwix saw Zagmira's face and almost recoiled in shock. Zagmira appeared to be a young woman in her later teens. Or rather, at least one-half of her face appeared young. The other half of her face was wrinkled and old. It could have easily belonged to a human woman in her eighties. Atwix kept his bow ready but avoid staring at Zagmir's face. "Well met as well. I am Atwix and these are my companions." He introduced everyone except Orvex. Zagmira seemed surprised to see Atwix. "I must say, I haven't encountered a drow since I left Thay nearly a year ago." Atwix smiled. "We drows tend to get around more these days." "Is that you, Orvex?" Zagmira asked ignoring Atwix's response. "We thought you were dead, buried when the building you and Thazma were searching collapsed." "I was hurt," Orvex said. "But luckily I wasn't killed outright. The next day, I managed to free myself and wandered through the city looking for you and the others. Instead, I found these adventurers who helped me." "It is good to see you alive," Zagmira said. "Now if you'd like to continue working for us--" "He's working for us now," Atwix said interrupting Zagmira. "I see. Perhaps then we can hire your services as adventurers. We could use more warriors and spellcasters." Zagmira looked to Zartan who stood with his bow ready. "Are you Zartan, the one known as the jungle lord? I have heard legends told about you. It's said you were raised by the Korotu great apes from when you were an infant." Zartan did not fully understand what Zagmira said and looked to Orvex who translated what she had said. Zartan nodded but kept his bow ready. "Is this your entire adventuring company?" Zagmira asked. "Now it is yes, but there were others with us. However, they were killed by dinosaurs and other deadly creatures we've encountered on our journey to Omu." "Join us then," Zagmira said. "We'll pay you handsomely for your services. As I understand it, there are plenty of riches to be found in Omu." "Speaking of riches," Atwix said. "Do you happen to have any stone cubes? About three inches to a side?" Zagmira's eyes narrowed. She looked over to Yamoch who stood ready to cast a spell. She turned back to look at Atwix. "Perha--." An arrow flew past Atwix. Its wooden tip pierced Zagmira's left ear but its flight didn't stop there. Zagmira screamed as her left ear was torn off her head! She tried to say something but the words never left her. Another arrow pierced the middle of her face. The wooden arrow laced with deadly poison entered the Red Wizard's face and exited out the back of her skull. Brain matter splattered onto the street and on one of the mercenaries unfortunate enough to be standing too close behind her. Zagmira fell backward and struck the street hard. Her body convulsed for a breath or two then lay still. Yamoch, realizing they had been ambushed tried to utter a command to the four mercenaries behind him. But he too never got to utter one word. Arrows pierced his body in three places. He was dead before he fell facedown onto the street. A voice from far behind Atwix pierced through the thick foggy veil. "Mercenaries," Bolte yelled. "Drop your weapons and we'll give you an opportunity to correct a mistake you made by joining these Red Wizards." The four mercenaries, seeing how quickly the two Red Wizards had been killed, dropped their heavy crossbows and fled north. "Yeah, don't think of coming back!" Atwix yelled to try and further intimidate the mercenaries but his voice cracked. What came out sounded far less than intimidating. "Yeah, don't come back!" "I don't think you could have convinced an almiraj to flee," Orvex giggled. "What's an almiraj?" Alice asked Orvex. "It's a timid rabbit with a 1-foot-long spiral horn emerging from its forehead, not unlike the horn of a unicorn." Orvex explained. "Though rare, they can be found in Chult." Alice giggled. The group heard a scream come from the north. The scream was suddenly silenced. They then heard a loud snapping sound followed by the sound of bones being crushed. From the thick fog down the street, two of the mercenaries were running back towards them. Both had the look of fear one sees when death was breathing down his back...literally. What emerged from the fog behind the mercenaries was absolutely terrifying!
"King of Feathers!" Orvex stammered.
Zartan uttered a loud battle cry and flew into a rage at the sight before him. Seeing King of Feathers, his nemesis, he charged forward ready to do battle with the most fearsome tyrannosaurus rex in all of Chult.
He was spurred on by years of pain, anguish, and a need for revenge.
When he was an infant, Zartan's parents had been shipwrecked off the northern coast of Chult, near Refuge Bay. His parents were the only survivors. Sadly, they survived a shipwreck only to be killed less than a tenday later by King of Feathers. His father had already been killed by King of Feathers when it went after Zartan's mother who, despite not wanting to leave her husband's side, was ordered to flee in hopes of saving their infant child.
Not wanting to risk losing her son, Zartan's mother hid the young child inside the hollow of a large tree. She then lured King of Feathers deeper into the jungle, away from her child.
After killing Zartan's mother, King of Feathers returned to search for the young human he smelled earlier. But the child was nowhere to be found. In its search, King of Feathers caught the scent of a lone Korotu great ape who had been in the area moments before. Try as it might, King of Feathers could not find the child nor the ape that robbed it of its kill.
Zartan became a feral child, raised by his ape mother, Laka. She named him Zartan, which meant “white ape”. And for the next twenty years, he learned to live among the animals of Chult. The Korotu apes became his new family.
Zartan's jungle upbringing gave him abilities far beyond those of ordinary humans like him. These include climbing, clinging, and leaping as well as any great ape. He used branches and swung from vines to travel at great speed, a skill acquired among the Korotu apes.
His strength, speed, stamina, agility, reflexes, and swimming skills were extraordinary in comparison to normal men. He has wrestled full-grown bull apes, kamadans, crocodiles, giant snakes, and even dinosaurs. Under Bag of Nail's tutelage, Zartan became a skilled tracker and hunter, using his exceptional hearing and keen sense of smell to follow prey or avoid predators.
But as Zartan grew into manhood, he was somehow still able to remember the tragic moments when his parents were killed. Laka told him of how she found him in a hollow of a tree. She had recently lost her only child to Sobar, a fearsome kamadan, whom Zartan slew when he was thirteen.
But the one creature Zartan had spent his life in search of was the tyrannosaurus rex that was responsible for his parent's death. King of Feathers.
Despite Zartan's attempts at finding it, King of Feathers proved to be elusive. That is, until one day when Zartan came upon it hunting near the Valley of Dread. The two fought but King of Feathers had managed to mortally wound Zartan, rendering the jungle lord unconscious. Had it not been for Bag of Nails' sudden appearance, Zartan would have been killed by King of Feathers, just like his parents.
Since then, Zartan swore he would someday find King of Feathers. He swore he would avenge his parent's deaths or die trying.
That day had finally arrived.
Zartan skidded to a stop, drew back his longbow with all of his strength, and let loose an arrow.
Unfortunately, the arrow overshot his target.
Orvex and Alice split up. Orvex ran towards a broad set of stairs leading down from the raised street towards the east. Alice did the same but took the stairs leading down to the western part of Omu.
One of the two mercenaries screamed at the sight of King of Feathers who stood over 30 feet in height!
The mercenary tried to run, but King of Feathers roared once and was quickly upon him. The tyrannosaurus rex opened its huge mouth full of sharp teeth and took the fleeing man into it. With a bone-crunching bite, King of Feathers tore the screaming man in two.
The second mercenary, who was behind King of Feathers, faired no better. The man started to run north again. King of Feathers swung its huge tail at the fleeing mercenary, swept him off the ground, and flung him off the raised street and into a ruined building below. The screaming man broke through a building and smacked onto the ground breaking every bone in his body. He twitched for a few seconds then died.
Bolte and Nip'hto used their bows to full effect, taking shots at King of Feathers. Several arrows buried themselves in the dinosaur's thick hide.
King of Feathers roared in anger. It turned its head, easily the size of a full-grown human man, and bit some of the arrows off of it.
Atwix, not wanting to lose any of the puzzle cubes Zagmira had in her possession, ran towards her fallen body. He scooped her up and ran towards the edge of the raised street. Without hesitating, he leaped off the street to land some fifteen below. He was hurt, but alive.
King of Feathers saw Atwix but his attention was suddenly drawn to Zartan, who stood ready to shoot another arrow at it.
King of Feathers paused momentarily and drew in a deep breath through its nostrils.
King of Feathers smelled something familiar, a scent it had only smelled twice before. And both times, its prey had managed to avoid being killed and eaten by it.
King of Feathers opened its mouth wide, roared at Zartan...
...and charged!
Zartan tried to leap to the side but King of Feathers was too fast. The dinosaur opened its mouth and clamped down on Zartan. Zartan screamed as sharp dagger-like teeth tore into his body.
Zartan suddenly felt himself being lifted off the ground.
Bolte, who had been moving positions to keep himself hidden from view, kept shooting at King of Feathers. Meanwhile, Nip'hto's every shot found its mark with deadly accuracy.
Alice saw Zartan trapped in King of Feathers's mouth. But she felt helpless, having nearly depleted her clerical spells for the day. What healing spells she had required that she reach Zartan and place a healing hand upon him.
But she did have a spell still available. With a word and a gesture, Alice created a floating spectral mace in the air. With a thought, she sent the mace flying straight at King of Feathers. It struck the dinosaur in the head.
King of Feathers, with Zartan still in its mouth, turned its gaze momentarily at Alice then to where Atwix stood below the street.
To everyone's amazement, King of Feathers suddenly vanished...and reappeared near where Atwix stood beside Zagmira's body.
"Bloody Hells!," Bolte yelled to Nip'hto. "That thing can teleport?"
"I guess so," Nip'hto shrugged. "This jungle is sure full of surprises."
Atwix shocked by the sudden appearance of King of Feathers in front of him, knocked an arrow and shot the dinosaur right in the belly. The drow fighter quickly knocked a second arrow and let it loose, striking King of Feathers in the throat. He considered using a Banishing Arrow, but reconsidered. If he banished King of Feathers, even for several breaths, it would likely take Zartan with it. Atwix couldn't take that risk.
Zartan, still held tight by King of Feathers's vice-like mouth, had dropped his bow. He tried to pull the dinosaur's mouth apart, but it was no use. He didn't have the leverage nor the strength to free himself. Luckily, his rage kept his thoughts away from the excruciating pain that would have already rendered a normal human man unconscious. The jungle lord was hurt, but King of Feathers was in far worse shape.
Zartan tried to reach the dagger strapped to his waist but he couldn't. That part of his body was inside King of Feathers's mouth.
He tried punching the dinosaur's snout but it was a feeble attempt at hurting such a huge monstrosity.
Zartan began to grasp the reality that he was going to die. But that didn't terrify him as much as it angered him. He had spent his entire life trying to avenge his slain parents and he was about to fail. To Zartan, that realization was far more terrifying than death itself.
Suddenly, he felt King of Feathers's grip on him loosen!
Thunk!
An arrow pierced King of Feathers's thick hide right below his right eye. The dinosaur roared. Zartan slipped out of its mouth and fell to the ground below.
King of Feathers looked down at where Zartan lay prone and bloodied. It emitted an ear-piercing roar and raised its massive right leg.
King of Feathers was going to crush Zartan!
Suddenly, five arrows, shot by Bolte and Nip'hto, struck King of Feathers's right side. One arrow pierced the dinosaur's eye, completely burying itself inside the dinosaurs' head and piercing its small brain.
With its right leg still raised, the deadly wave of arrows striking it caused King of Feathers to lose its balance.
It toppled to the ground with a thunderous crash and lay still. Seconds later, an audible rush of air escaped out of the dinosaur's open mouth.
King of Feathers, the terror of Chult, was dead!
The group rested for an hour before heading north to find the Red Wizards, Zagmira and Yamoch. Both Red Wizards, according to the mercenaries they had spared, may have three puzzle cubes. If that was true, then only one puzzle cube remained. And that was believed to be in the possession of Ras Nsi, leader of the yuan-ti whose temple-lair was said to be located under the ruined palace in the heart of Omu. The adventurers traveled along the main street that ran north to south through the city of Omu. As they walked along the broad street, it became harder to see the ruins to either side of the raised street. A thick fog had rolled in from the south, cutting visibility to within a hundred feet. Everyone was on guard. Atwix, who along with Orvex, Zartan, and Alice, had walked ahead of Nip'hto and Bolte who were following them nearly a hundred feet behind. Atwix suddenly raised his hand to signal everyone to stop. From the north, a group of people suddenly materialized out of the thick fog. All six were human but clearly from various lands of Faerûn. The group was led by two dressed in crimson robes. One was a slender woman, the other a heavy-set male. Both were bald and had tattoos on their shaved heads. The other four were dressed in various makes of leather armor. Each also had a sword and held a loaded heavy crossbow. The woman signaled for her group to stop. She put an arm up and waved at Atwix. "Well met, travelers," she said. "I am Zagmira and this is Yamoch. We are explorers in search of fabled artifacts. May we approach and speak so as not to yell. Gods only know what deadly creatures lurk in this city." Atwix and those with him moved closer. Bolte and Nip'hto hid and readied their bows. Atwix saw Zagmira's face and almost recoiled in shock. Zagmira appeared to be a young woman in her later teens. Or rather, at least one-half of her face appeared young. The other half of her face was wrinkled and old. It could have easily belonged to a human woman in her eighties. Atwix kept his bow ready but avoid staring at Zagmir's face. "Well met as well. I am Atwix and these are my companions." He introduced everyone except Orvex. Zagmira seemed surprised to see Atwix. "I must say, I haven't encountered a drow since I left Thay nearly a year ago." Atwix smiled. "We drows tend to get around more these days." "Is that you, Orvex?" Zagmira asked ignoring Atwix's response. "We thought you were dead, buried when the building you and Thazma were searching collapsed." "I was hurt," Orvex said. "But luckily I wasn't killed outright. The next day, I managed to free myself and wandered through the city looking for you and the others. Instead, I found these adventurers who helped me." "It is good to see you alive," Zagmira said. "Now if you'd like to continue working for us--" "He's working for us now," Atwix said interrupting Zagmira. "I see. Perhaps then we can hire your services as adventurers. We could use more warriors and spellcasters." Zagmira looked to Zartan who stood with his bow ready. "Are you Zartan, the one known as the jungle lord? I have heard legends told about you. It's said you were raised by the Korotu great apes from when you were an infant." Zartan did not fully understand what Zagmira said and looked to Orvex who translated what she had said. Zartan nodded but kept his bow ready. "Is this your entire adventuring company?" Zagmira asked. "Now it is yes, but there were others with us. However, they were killed by dinosaurs and other deadly creatures we've encountered on our journey to Omu." "Join us then," Zagmira said. "We'll pay you handsomely for your services. As I understand it, there are plenty of riches to be found in Omu." "Speaking of riches," Atwix said. "Do you happen to have any stone cubes? About three inches to a side?" Zagmira's eyes narrowed. She looked over to Yamoch who stood ready to cast a spell. She turned back to look at Atwix. "Perha--." An arrow flew past Atwix. Its wooden tip pierced Zagmira's left ear but its flight didn't stop there. Zagmira screamed as her left ear was torn off her head! She tried to say something but the words never left her. Another arrow pierced the middle of her face. The wooden arrow laced with deadly poison entered the Red Wizard's face and exited out the back of her skull. Brain matter splattered onto the street and on one of the mercenaries unfortunate enough to be standing too close behind her. Zagmira fell backward and struck the street hard. Her body convulsed for a breath or two then lay still. Yamoch, realizing they had been ambushed tried to utter a command to the four mercenaries behind him. But he too never got to utter one word. Arrows pierced his body in three places. He was dead before he fell facedown onto the street. A voice from far behind Atwix pierced through the thick foggy veil. "Mercenaries," Bolte yelled. "Drop your weapons and we'll give you an opportunity to correct a mistake you made by joining these Red Wizards." The four mercenaries, seeing how quickly the two Red Wizards had been killed, dropped their heavy crossbows and fled north. "Yeah, don't think of coming back!" Atwix yelled to try and further intimidate the mercenaries but his voice cracked. What came out sounded far less than intimidating. "Yeah, don't come back!" "I don't think you could have convinced an almiraj to flee," Orvex giggled. "What's an almiraj?" Alice asked Orvex. "It's a timid rabbit with a 1-foot-long spiral horn emerging from its forehead, not unlike the horn of a unicorn." Orvex explained. "Though rare, they can be found in Chult." Alice giggled. The group heard a scream come from the north. The scream was suddenly silenced. They then heard a loud snapping sound followed by the sound of bones being crushed. From the thick fog down the street, two of the mercenaries were running back towards them. Both had the look of fear one sees when death was breathing down his back...literally. What emerged from the fog behind the mercenaries was absolutely terrifying!
King of Feathers
Note: The session write-up is based on the gaming session and may or may not accurately reflect any actual session combat encounters and/or events. Some artistic license was made in an effort to dramatize the story and not be hampered by game or combat mechanics.
Session played on March 17, 2021
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