Campaign 3 - Session 3 - Refugees, Dams, and God Slayers
The party made camp for the night in one of the many small caves of the Deep Roads. During this time Atoone received a vision from the spirit of her old master that warned her of a great flood coming to Pandora and charged Atoone with preventing it.
Jazel gave Atoone the magic lamp she found back in Castle Nightingale after discovering a strange old ghost comes out if you rub the lamp.
Choppa figured out how to read the lip of the sorceress in the painting and learned that if Choppa draws the circle runes in the back of demonic book then the sorceress will return from the dead. She promises a magical reward to Choppa if she restores her to the physical world. She also tells Choppa that the ghost in the magic lamp knows where to find the book! (Choppa doesn't know that Gud'rune has the book!)
The party emerged from behind a great waterfall somewhere in the White Flow Region of Pandora.
They encountered fisherwomen and a large group of refugees fleeing the iron spine from a Merfolk invasion. The refugees were being escorted by a squadron of Aegis soldiers who have rampantly spread lies that Queen Umber had given Princess Jazel orders to eliminate usurpers at the proving with poison. What is true is that the Aegis family and their supporters were enacting a coup to overthrow the Umber family and claim the throne for themselves now that their home of Thunderhead had fallen. The Aegis family are spreading propaganda that the Umber family has become weak, their line diminished to just Jazel, and the mountain clan has enemies besieging them from all sides. The Aegis Family will make the mountain clan great again!
Battle breaks out between the party and the Aegis soldiers and one unconscious Aegis soldier falls into the river and over a waterfall. Princess Jazel transformed into a Moose and leapt into the water to save her, separating herself from the rest of the party.
The battle raged on and Choppa roared with fury as she used her chain blade to slice one of the aegis soldiers into two from shoulder to hip spraying the refugees in blood and gore. Her display of brutality caused the crowd to scatter except for a lone young girl who instead stared in awe of Choppa's power. This youngling bowed her head to the ground and begged Choppa to teach her to be strong like her and Choppa cackled with delight as she remembered doing the same at the feet of Krumpa Daka Waa years ago. She took the blood of her enemies and drew the runes of the Orc Waaaa leader on the young girl's face and gave her the name of Killa Daka Waa!!!!!
Gud'rune inspired the young Astrid to rally the Aegis soldiers to lay down their arms and explained to the refugees that it was her older brother Magnus who poisoned the Proving and that the Umber Family is innocent of any crimes beyond self defense.
Then out of the blue sky came screeching a massive red eagle with a group of Gerblins riding on its back shooting arrows into the crowd of refugees. The eagle swooped in and grabed a talon-ful of refugees and then flew back into the clouds preparing to loop back again. Gud'rune explains that the Red Eagle in fact Deathwing, a demigod, that she and the Valkyrie have been trying to take down for years as the eagle likes to hunt Mother Winter's cubs. She is not to be underestimated.
Atoone decided to use the magic lamp and told the magic ghost to build a large net to capture Deathwing with but quickly figured out that the ghost could only perform a task that a normal person could do. The ghost moaned and groaned as it began gathering sticks to make the net complaining how its going to take him forever to make a net that big.
Gud'rune then ordered the remaining refugees into the river to ride the current down to safety.
Atoone seeing Deathwing prepare to swoop down for another attack began calling out to the spirits of the forest to help make the net. (and with a modified 24 CHR roll no less) the spirits started weaving sticks and leaves into a massive net, but they needed time!
Meanwhile Princess Jazel managed to save the Aegis soldier down river and the soldier swears her life to house Umber for saving hers. During this stoic moment a playful water elemental appeared from the water and entices Jazel to follow it further down stream. Jazel rides the white rapids with glee in the safety of the water elemental's air bubble embrace but the fun comes to a stop when they hit a giant wooden dam blocking the water flow. The water elemental looked so sad that Jazel decided to use her magic axe to break the dam causing the river to flood into the forest below. The Elemental gleefully rode the current down to the forest and out of sight of Jazel.
Then a Tallneck stuck its head up to Jazel from the forest below and using her recently new ability to communicate with plants and animals Jazel learned from the Tallneck that she broke Barktooth's Dam and Barktooth's not gonna like that.
The Tallneck shook its body and tons of tiny plant spores spewed into the air all singing the chant of "Jazel Umber broke Barktooth's Dam" spreading the news far and wide. Jazel started to panic! She wanted to fix the dam and begged the group of Tallnecks to help her gather 10 trees to help build it. They all agreed and began thrashing through the woods tearing up trees left and right. Jazel realized the Tallnecks couldn't count to 10 and she just started a deforestation project.
A bolt of lighting struck in the distance and the ground began to quake. Jazel then realized she could use her axe to build a wall of ice to block the flow of water and just as she finished up a huge red eagle came crashing down into the forest below, completely tangled in a massive net. What the heck?!
Gud'rune and the refugees meet up with Jazel as they were stopped by the ice dam from falling over the edge. Atoone, Choppa, and Choppa's new apprentice weren't far behind.
Thump, thump, thump the ground shook as a huge monstrous beaver came into the clearing. The Mighty Barktooth. Seeing the band-aided ice wall dam, Barktooth let out a roar of frustration followed by a high pitched voice of "Jazel Umber broke my dam??!"
Jazel began explaining what happened and soon as she mentioned the water elemental Barktooth's eyes went red and electricity started sparking from the tips of his fur."YOU RELEASED THE WATER ELEMENTAL?"
A massive electric shockwave filled the area, killing a dozen refugees and damaging half the hero party. Atoone then stoically stood atop the waterfall and shouted down to Barktooth that if he killed Deathwing that she would seal the water elemental away again. With that promise Barkooth let out a roar and using his mighty teeth bit down into Deathwing with an electrifying CHOMP!
Deathwing broke free of the net in the exchange but before she could fly away Choppa dove off the waterfall spinning both her great swords in a flurry of carnage as she connected in the exposed wound left by Barktooth. Blood sprayed across the clearing as the sound of of the chainblade chewed off Deathwing's right wing completely. Deathwing lifted its head to screech in pain but Jazel raced up and sliced the eagle's throat thus ending Deathwing's rein of terror. The crowd of refugees started chanting "UMBER UMBER UMBER!"
With Deathwing slain, the massive Barktooth turned his mighty gaze to Atoone and in a high pitched voice demanded the old tortle to uphold their bargain and seal the water elemental away. Atoone smiled, and pointed out that their deal was for Barktooth to slay Deathwing, and yet it was Princess Jazel who dealt the killing blow. The monstrous beaver's left eye began to twitch in frustration and lighting started to spark across his fur when suddenly a glob of water hit Barktooth in the back of the head. It was the water elemental! It tauntingly laughed at Barktooth and swam away as the mighty beaver roared and chased after it down the newly formed river till they were both out of sight.
The party and the refugees rejoiced in their victory and Choppa used her chain blade to quarter up the massive eagle's corpse and cooked it over a large fire. There was a mighty feast and the refugees sang songs of Jazel the Godslayer and how she moved so fast it appeared as if there were two of her in the epic battle.
Afterwards, Gud'rune gave Astrid command of the Refugees and the remaining loyal Aegis soldiers and directed her to lead the people to the safety of the Capital via the Lake of Plenty. Gud'rune said that she will lead Jazel, Atoone, Jazel, Choppa, Choppa's new apprentice, and Amleth to the capital through the Umber Family Tomb. She hopes that by splitting up that it doubles their chances of at least one of the groups reaching the capital to explain what happened to Queen Umber.
As the party was preparing to leave, Atoone stared at the blood moon high in the sky and noticed the spirit of Deathwing being corrupted by the blood moon's light beyond the veil. Atoone, refusing to let another spirit like Kitava the red bull fall to corruption channeled her spiritual energy into a spare sword she recovered in battle. The corruption was strong, but her will was stronger as she managed to remove the blood moon's corruption from Death Wing's spirit and transfer it to the sword instead. But something went terribly wrong. The corruption leaked out of the sword and tainted Atoone's right arm all the way down to her elbow.
She looked at her arm and wondered if this time she bit off more than she could chew and then quickly covered her arm and turned to catch up with the rest of the party.
