Session 11: Loose Ends

The party decides to make a move; and things don't quite go as planned. Especially when they all find themselves deep in the jungles of Xen'drik at the end of it.

Picking up the conversation where they left off, the party continues probing Dharrakir for info. Uncomfortable standing in the blowing winds, Dharrakir, Riris, Bulgey, and Vita sit down around one of the campfires, away from the others. Vita voices her distrust of Dharrakir and his "kind", which he expressed a mild offense to. Bulgey, more interested in the nature of this faith that this group had tied themselves to, asked about the nature of Bastimaar and his followers.   Meanwhile, in the other camp, the Fork, Brian, Tilly, Wick, and Neshto were hatching a plan. Frustrated with the wide array of non-conclusions they've been able to draw, they hatch a plot to have Bulgey claim a renewed interest in undergoing the trail, which would at least lead the group collectively up towards the old temple; where Fork suspects Mary's Little Lambs are hiding out. They hoped that, when confronted with the creatures directly, Dharrakir would be forced to take a side, which would clear up a number of things for them. Brian goes over to the other camp, and pulls Bulgey aside to explain the plan.   When Bulgey then returns, and demonstrates a sudden change of heart however, Vita found herself alone and confused in the conversation, unaware of the plan. When she angrily insists to Bulgey that Bastimaar's trial was a bad idea, and he responded with one of his many insults, something within her snaps, and her Aasimar nature is revealed; her eyes becoming deep pools of black, and large skeletal wings erupting from her back. Riris, startled, flees into the corner; and when Bulgey unleashes an attack on Dharrakir, he decides to cut their losses, picks up Riris, and flees, flying up to the temple.   The party regathers themselves, while the mercenaries look on in confusion. Unable to convince them to join the party as they ascend to the temple, the party carefully makes their way up. They find Dharrakir and Riris, in an old marble temple of sorts, with a strange pool of whispy gray, and some script on the wall that none of them took the time to read. Rushing forward, Tilly and Fork attempt to convince Riris not to undergo the trial, to no avail. They watch her plunge the dagger into her own chest, and collapse next to the pool; ethereal hands reaching towards her from its whispy depths.   As the party engaged, four eyeball creatures, cackling and talking amongst themselves, flanked the party from the side and behind. Over the course of the fight, they seemed to use some sort of power to probe, and damage, the minds of the party. However, only the green eyed ones, the ones that spoke in tandem with the voice of Mary actually appeared to attack the party, one of them cutting Bulgey down, revived by Vita at the battle's end. When confronted with violence, the violet and red eyed creatures turned and left.   Within the temple, the violence was much more physical. Tilly was nearly killed by a painful spell attack from Dharrakir, followed up by his acidic blood as Brian unleashed his relentless attacks and maneuvers. Riris, apparently successful in her trial, awoke to find herself crushed by Tilly's earthen hand, only to stand into a cloud of blades, instantly cutting her down.   With the defeat of all enemies present, Brian took Dharrakir's head as a souvenir, and Tilly the sacrificial dagger. As they rejoined the rest of the party outside, everyone collectively found themselves hurtling through the cosmos; sans Wick and Neshto Fael’Morra. They found themselves deep in the jungles of what Fork surmised was likely Xen'Drik. He explained that, due to something he called "The Traveller's Curse", this jungle was notoriously difficult and dangerous to navigate. Badly in need of rest, the party made camp and took shifts, Tilly expressing the importance of the party getting matching tattoos, an idea Fork seemed resistant to. During his watch, Fork attempted a prayer to The Traveler, to no avail.