The Lord of the Quaggans

Starring:

Poobaloo, Jeubadiah, and Randy the Butternub

-Once upon a time there lived a jeub. This jeub’s name was Jeubadiah, and he lived with his small family in the Grove- homeland of the lettuces. One day he was on his way to get dinner when he saw an unusually tall man walking towards him. -As they passed by each other, the tall man turned to Jeubadiah and said “what’s up? Not you!”
-This insult enraged Jeubadiah so much that he grabbed the man and tried to strangle him. Unfortunately for them, they happened to be right on the edge of a large cliff. After a short struggle, they both fell over the side.
-Luckily for them, they fell in a large pond- meaning they survived. Unluckily for them, this pond happened to be one of the most sacred sites of the lettuce people.
-When Jeubadiah and the strange man climbed from the pool, they found themselves surrounded by angry lettuces, all holding makeshift weapons and seemingly intent on killing both Jeubadiah and the man.
-Thinking quickly, Jeubadiah began casting fire magic- which he had learned as a child from his father. To his side, the man also began using some sort of fire magic.
-Together, they carved a path through the Grove, killing thousands of lettuces and causing huge amounts of property damage as they did so.
-Eventually, they manage to escape the city. They begin travelling through Caledon Forest, and Jeubadiah learns that the man’s name is Poobaloo.
-They travel nonstop for hours, aware that the lettuce army is almost certainly following them. However, eventually they get tired and decide to stop.
-Poobaloo tells Jeubadiah that they need to find a good hiding spot, as the lettuce army will almost certainly travel through the night to catch them. Jeubadiah agrees, and tells Poobaloo that he knows the perfect spot.
-Jeubadiah takes Poobaloo to a large pile of rocks, and using a secret passage they find a small cave within the pile. Poobaloo agrees that this will be a good spot, and they hide there.
-Later that night, they hear the sound of marching, and Jeubadiah peeks outside to see that the lettuces have arrived, and are making camp very close to the rock pile. This worries Jeubadiah, but he figures that they’ll probably be fine anyway.
-As the night progresses, they two of them begin to feel more and more uneasy, and they agree that something bad is going to happen soon...although they don't know what it will be.
-Suddenly, they hear the sounds of fighting outside, and Jeubadiah looks out to see what's going on. The Lettuce Army is in disarray, having been caught by surprise by some other force which appeared in the night.
-Poobaloo crawls up next to Jeubadiah, and recognizes the new army as being comprised of Risen- and they seem to be led by a large froglike creature, which Poobaloo calls a "Frogman".
-The Lettuces eventually regroup and manage to put up a good fight, nearly defeating the Frogman's forces by sheer numbers- as the Frogman seems to have only brought a few hundred risen along with him while the Lettuces number in the thousands.
-Still, the element of surprise wins out in the end and the Lettuce Army is destroyed to a man. Only a few Risen remain standing, as well as the Frogman.
-Jeubadiah decides that the action is over and crawls back to go to bed. However, as he is doing so he accidentally kicks a rock which makes a loud noise. The Frogman looks at their hiding spot, and orders a few Risen to investigate.
-Before the Risen can arrive at their location, however, Poobaloo charges out of the cave and uses his strange staff to cast fire spells across the field. The Risen are quickly reduced to ash.
-Jeubadiah joins Poobaloo, and together they fight the Frogman. The beast proves to be extremely tough, but Jeubadiah and Poobaloo are eventually able to kill it.
-As soon as the Frogman falls, Poobaloo begins to search the corpse- looking for money or something else of value. He does not find any, but he does find a strange note.
-The note details a plan for the invasion of Soggorsort- a nearby quaggan city. It is signed by someone called "mysterious nightmare lettuce" and the return address is 666 Dreamdark Enclave.
-Curious, Poobaloo and Jeubadiah decide to travel to Dreamdark Enclave and see what's going on. Luckily, the Enclave was not very far and they are able to travel there in only a few hours.
-The guards there tell them to leave, as only Nightmare Lettuces are allowed. They kill the guards and go in anyway. Sneaking through the base, they search until they find the exact address from which the note was sent. It is a large house.
-They go inside the house and search it until they find a single lettuce, who is taking a nap. Poobaloo slaps him awake and demands that he tell them about the note.
-The lettuce refuses to talk, so Poobaloo resorts to more advanced methods of interrogation. He cuts off both the lettuce's legs and force feeds them to their unfortunate owner.
-After the lettuce swallows his own legs, Poobaloo says "now talk, or you'll get a serving of arms". The lettuce hurriedly begins explaining himself.
-He explains that there is an army comprised of Risen and Nightmare lettuces marching from the north, led by another frogman, and that he had been relaying information between the main army and the outriders (the Risen that Poobaloo and Jeubadiah helped kill).
-When he is finished, Poobaloo and Jeubadiah leave him to bleed to death. Before they leave Dreamdark Enclave, however, they decide to burn the whole place down. SO they do. All the Nightmare Lettuces are killed in the inferno, and Jeub and Poo begin travelling north to find and destroy the risen/nightmare lettuce army.
-They are able to find it without much effort once they begin searching, as it is a very large army. Knowing they cannot destroy the whole thing themselves, Poo and Jeub decide to instead take out the leader and hope that this causes the army to dissolve.
-They sneak their way into the army's camp, and eventually find the Frogman's tent. They crawl in and look around.
-They immediately notice the Frogman, sitting at his desk looking at reports. Poobaloo casts a spell at it, but it notices and attacks them. Just as with the last Frogman, they are able to defeat it with difficulty.
-When the Frogman is dead, they decide to search through the reports it had been looking through. Most of it is boring supply reports and that sort of thing, but a few of the papers mention someone called "Poobadoo" who seems to be the leader behind all these operations.
-Poobaloo recognizes the name from his history lessons, but having never been good at history he can't place it exactly. He feels like it could be important though.
-Poobaloo and Jeubadiah discuss this, and agree that the only thing to do is to go to Moogooloo and look things up there, as Moogooloo is the greatest city of the quaggans- and it contains the most extensive library in the known world.
-The Great City of Moogooloo was a few days travel to the north, so they decided to set out immediately. Two days later, they arrived in the small village of Ireko Trade Camp- a settlement created by lettuces, humans, and quaggans on the south shore of the same great lake that Moogooloo sat upon.
-In Ireko Trade Camp, they saw a strange quaggan who was running around yelling for help. They watched him for a while, then decided to go ask him what was wrong.
-As soon as they did, the quaggan calmed down and introduced himself as Flipdroop, a quaggan mage and inhabitant of Moogooloo. He explained that an army of risen had recently appeared outside the town of Triskell Quay- another settlement on the lake.
-He continues on, explaining that he was in the city when it was attacked and had fled to Ireko Trade Camp, as it was the nearest civilization. He then states that Triskell Quay is unlikely to hold out much longer, and that it will certainly be destroyed if no one goes to its aid.
-Poobaloo and Jeubadiah look at each other, and agree that they should go help out. Flipdroop thanks them, and then tells them that he will travel to Moogooloo and attempt to bring in reinforcements if he can. They part ways.
-Poobaloo and Jeubadiah quickly arrive at Triskell Quay, and find it on the verge of being overrun by risen. The shoddily built walls have already fallen, and the citizens seem to be holed up in a few buildings near the town center.
-Charging forward, Poo and Jeub burn a path through the besieging Risen and reach the town center where the survivors are fighting. Without wasting time on introductions, they join the fight.
-After a few hours, the Risen draw back- unprepared for the powerful magic wielded by Poobaloo and Jeubadiah. The two heroes decide to rest a while, as they know the battle is not over.
-The next morning, the Risen arrive again. This time, they come in much greater numbers- at least ten thousand risen fighting against a few dozen quaggan soldiers plus Poo and Jeub.
-The Battle of Triskell Quay continues, and it becomes quite clear early on that the defenders will not be able to hold out for much longer. The last few quaggan soldiers are killed, and the Risen begin to slip past Poobaloo and Jeubadiah towards the houses where the defenseless civilians are hiding. All seems lost.
-Suddenly, Poo and Jeub hear the sound of conch shell horns blowing to the north. They look towards the sound and see Flipdroop standing atop a nearby hill, and behind him the entirety of the Army of Moogooloo- at least 6,000 soldiers along with many powerful mages.
-The Risen break off their assault on Triskell Quay and turn to meet this new threat, but it is no use. A blaze of magical power descends from the heights and washes over the front lines of the Risen. Behind this comes the Quaggan Army, chargind down the hill to slaughter all the remaining Risen. Within a few minutes, the battle is over.
-Poobaloo and Jeubadiah make their way across the battlefield, attempting to reach the quaggan army where they hope to meet up with Flipdroop and thank him for the timely rescue.
-Suddenly, they hear the voice of the very person they had been searching for calling out weakly. They both turn to the source of the sound, and see Flipdroop lying there- bleeding from multiple stab wounds.
-They rush over to Flipdroop, who thanks them for saving Triskell Quay before dying of his wounds. Poo and Jeub are saddened by the death of their new friend, and their resolve to defeat Poobadoo is greatly strengthened.
-After this, Poobaloo and Jeubadiah are welcomed into Moogooloo as heroes- as they had saved the lives of most of Triskell Quay's population. Because of their new hero status, they are allowed to have a private meeting with the Varanos of the city.
-In their meeting, they explain to the Varanos that they have heard the name of Poobadoo and wish to seek knowledge in the Great Library of Moogooloo. However, the Varanos tells them that this is a bad idea.
-He explains that while they may be able to find the knowledge they seek, it would take a long time. Instead, he recommends that they go to the city of Lyon, where they can find the Quaggan Council- a group of three powerful and wise quaggan mages who attempt to maintain order in Tyria. "They will have the information you seek, and will be able to give you guidance on your quest" he says.
-Poobaloo and Jeubadiah thank the Varanos for his help, and leave him. They spend another day in Moogooloo readying for the trip and eating as much as they can. Then, on the morning of their second day in the city, they leave.
-They travel southeast for another two days until they finally arrive at the free city of Lyon- the largest trade port in Tyria as well as the most diverse.
-They traverse the city, looking at all the exotic goods and people. Finally, they remember their quest and begin asking around for the location of the Quaggan Council Chambers. Eventually, they are able to get directions.
-Utilizing these directions, they make their way to the Council Chambers. When they arrive a quaggan guard asks them to state their business, and they explain themselves to him. He looks surprised, and allows them inside immediately.
-The guard tells them to wait in the antechamber and goes to explain the situation to the council. They wait a while.
-Finally, the guard returns and says that the council is ready to see them. He leads them into a small, surprisingly plain room which contains a dining table and five chairs. At each of the chairs is a plate with a slice of pizza and a glass with some water.
-At the end of the table sits a small, old looking quaggan who seems to exude a sense of wisdom. To his sides sit two female quaggans- one rather plain looking and the other wearing a ragged hat and eyepatch.
-The male quaggan introduces himself as Kookoochoo- leader of the quaggan council. The plain quaggan is Poowulpi, his second in command, and the other is Pegleg- the newest addition to the council. He invites them to sit at the two empty seats.
-The five of them eat their pizza and water, and afterwards Poo and Jeub explain their recent adventures to the council. Pegleg in particular seems interested in the tale.
-When they are finished, Kookoochoo looks down- seemingly deep in thought. After a while, he looks up again and begins his own tale.
-He tells them of how, thousands of years ago (long before even he was born), Poobadoo had been the High Priest of Mellaggan, god of the quaggans. The greatest relic of the quaggans had been the four cabbages- three minor ones and the one cabbage to rule them all. With the magical power contained within these cabbages, the quaggans had conquered a vast and powerful empire.
-He goes on to explain that Poobadoo had grown to desire the power of the cabbages, and that this desire had corrupted him. One day, Poobadoo went into the deepest sanctum of the Temple of Mellaggan in Moogooloo where the Cabbages were held, and he had attempted to absorb their power into himself and usurp Mellaggan as god of the quaggans.
-Luckily for everyone except Poobadoo, Mellaggan had seen this coming and moved quickly to strike Poobadoo down. However, by the time she attempted to kill him, he had already absorbed a massive amount of power, and she was unable to decisively destroy him. Thus, she instead banished him to the Nether Realm- a dark and twisted alternate dimension from which there was supposedly no escape.
-After this, Mellaggan had decided to shatter the cabbages and spread them across Tyria, fearing that if they were to be kept in one place they would be too tempting for mortals to resist, and one day another like Poobadoo would arise and destroy everything she had built.
-She enacted her plan and shattered the three minor cabbages, but the major cabbage was too strong for her to shatter, so she placed it in a secret shrine where no one would find it. Then, Mellaggan retreated deep within herself, abandoning the quaggans to their own devices out of fear.
-With the power of the cabbages and their god lost, the quaggan empire had torn itself apart in a bloody civil war. Hundreds of thousands had died at the hands of quaggan magic, and much knowledge was lost.
-Near the end of this war, a new threat emerged. Poobadoo had somehow managed to break free of his imprisonment and had assembled an army to destroy Moogooloo in revenge for being banished. Only the actions of the great hero Nex Valenroff- who wielded the Sword of Nex- had saved the city. Poobadoo had been consigned to the Nether Realms once more, and while there had been some unsubstantiated rumors of his return coming out of Elona prior to that continent’s destruction, no one in Tyria had seen him since.
-With his story over, Kookoochoo explains that Poobadoo must have escaped again. Somehow, he has bent the risen to his will as well as other small factions like the nightmare lettuces and the frogmen.
-Poobaloo and Jeubadiah think about this for a moment, and Poobaloo suggests they find the Sword of Nex to kill Poobaloo like Nex did the last time he invaded.
-Kookoochoo tells him that this would be ideal, but they have no idea where the Sword of Nex is. Nex took it with him after the battle and the histories never told what he did with it.
-Luckily for them, Kookoochoo has another plan. He reveals that the Quaggan Council went on a search for the lost cabbages many years ago- initially hoping to bring them back together. They were able to find the locations of all the shards as well as the one true cabbage...but Kookoochoo had opted not to retrieve them because he did not wish to go against Mellaggan's will.
-Now, however, the situation is desperate enough to justify it. Much of Poobadoo's power is derived from the cabbages, so it may be possible to destroy him by turning that power against him. Poo and Jeub agree that this makes sense. They agree to go on a quest to find the cabbages.
-Kookoochoo gives them a list of the locations of each of the cabbage shards, and tells them that they should go as soon as possible. As they are leaving however, Pegleg speaks up and says she wants to go with them. Kookoochoo thinks about this and agrees to let her go as an emissary of the council.
-The three of them leave the Council Chambers. As they travel towards the Lyon gates, Pegleg explains that she's always loved adventure but that she rarely gets to go nowadays since she's a member of the Quaggan Council. Poo and Jeub welcome her to their group.
-After they leave Lyon, Poobaloo looks at the list he was given. The first location on the list is some sort of abandoned jeubish castle in northern jeubscalon. They decide to go there first.
-When they arrive at the fortress, they realise that it is not just a normal fortress- some sort of ancient magic has lifted it up into the sky, and it is now floating hundreds of feet into the air.
-The three adventurers search high and low for a way up into the castle, but they are unable to find one. Eventually they give up and set up camp for the night.
-As they are talking around the campfire, they hear a rustling in the bushes nearby. Jeubadiah goes to investigate. Suddenly, another jeub pops out of a nearby bush.
-Poobaloo is about to incinerate the jeub when the jeub yells "wait! I can help!" Hearing this, the group decides to listen to what he has to say.
-The jeub sits by their campfire and tells them about himself. His name is Randy, although he goes by the nickname of Randy the Butternub. He tells them that he has lived around here all his life, and that he felt a strange compulsion to come help them when he saw them searching, although it took him a while to build up the courage to act on that compulsion.
-Jeubadiah asks him if he knows how to get into the ancient fortress, and Randy says that yes, he does. He used to go up there as a child and play in the ruins often. Poo, Jeub, and Pegleg are pleased by this development and offer to let Randy stay in their camp. He accepts.
-The next morning they get up and Randy guides them to a large bunch of vines which hang off the castle. The vines form a sort of hidden staircase which they use to climb up to the castle.
-In the castle, they are able to find the cabbage shard without much difficulty as Pegleg had a device which allowed her to sense powerful magic from a short distance.
-They thank Randy for his help and prepare to leave, but Randy yells for them to wait- "I want to join you!" he says. The group discusses this, and eventually decides that they like Randy enough to let him join them.
-Now four people strong, the group heads out for the other shards.
-Over the course of the next few weeks they travel across the continent, finding shards and overcoming the strange creatures and trials that guard them.
-After discovering the second to last cabbage shard deep within the mountains, the group is travelling west. The final cabbage shard is on the Isle of Southsun, and that is their destination.
-As they are about to leave the mountains, Poobaloo notices someone ahead. They go towards the person, and find that it is actually an unusually small dredge. The dredge introduces himself as MiniDredge.
-They talk with MiniDredge for a while, and Poobaloo is immediately taken with him. When the time comes to split up and go their separate ways, Poobaloo is sad to leave his new friend behind. Thus, he offers to let MiniDredge come along with them.
-MiniDredge thinks about this for a while, and eventually decides to accept. He joins the group.
-As they continue on their way to Florid Pop, Jeubadiah speaks up, saying "You know now that there are so many of us, we should come up with a group name." The rest agree, and think about it for a while. Finally, Pegleg says "We should be called the Fellowship of the Cabbage!" Everyone else agrees on this name, and the Fellowship sets forth for Southsun.
-A few days later they arrive (by boat) in the port of Florid Pop, which sits in the center of Southsun. Pegleg says that the cabbage shard is to the west, so they leave the city and go searching.
-The western half of the island is a volcanic wasteland populated mainly by Karka, a strange race of massive crabs. They manage to sneak their way past the Karka and make their way to the largest volcano on the island, as that seems to be where the magic reading is coming from.
-They enter the volcano and are eventually able to find the room wherein the cabbage is hidden. However, it is guarded by a massive Karka, one which seems intent on keeping them away.
-The Fellowship attacks the Karka and are able to narrowly defeat it. Oddly, they all feel stronger during the fight, as if some outside force was lending them strength. They talk about this after the fight but none of them are able to figure out what caused it so they give up.
-Pegleg goes to take the Cabbage Shard out of its hiding place, but as soon as she does so the volcano begins rumbling. Pegleg immediately realises that the entire volcano is actually a magical trap- and that it will soon explode.
-She quickly explains this to the rest, and they bolt for the exit as soon as possible. Behind them, the volcano explodes. Luckily for them, they spot a small canoe ahead.
-The canoe has a single fisher inside, but they kick him out and begin rowing away from the island. Behind them, the volcano is erupting with such force that the entire island seems to be falling apart. In the distance they can see Florid Pop being totally annihilated by earthquakes and fire.
-Saddened by this loss of life, they are nevertheless glad that they have found all the cabbage shards. Only the One True Cabbage remains to be found.
-Poobaloo looks at the list, and finds the One True Cabbage's location. It says "beneath Arah, Orrdor"
-Poobaloo tells the rest of the Fellowship where they can find the final cabbage, and they are all dismayed. Orrdor is the land of the Risen, and Arah is their greatest stronghold. Poobaloo agrees that this is problematic. After a long discussion they decide that the only way to accomplish their goal is to build an army and invade Orrdor.
-The Fellowship returns to Lyon to notify Kookoochoo and Poowulpi of their intent and to begin recruiting volunteers.
-They spend a few weeks there, building a large and diverse army by promising great loot from Orrdor. Eventually, they decide to head to Clawr Island.
-Before they leave, Kookoochoo tells them of a man who lives in Clawr Island named Trahearne, who can help them in their invasion, as he knows much about Orrdor and also about military tactics. They thank him for the help, and set out once more.
-When they arrive at Clawr Island, they find it under siege by Risen. Apparently, Poobadoo and his lieutenants had caught wind of their plans and were trying to take out Clawr Island and deprive them of a staging ground for their invasion.
-The Risen quickly retreat when the reinforcements arrive, not willing to risk confrontation here so far from their homeland.
-The Fellowship enters the fortress along with their army. Randy, Pegleg, and MiniDredge begin helping their soldiers find lodging and food, while Poo and Jeub search for Trahearne.
-As the two of them walk down the street, Poobaloo feels a hand tap his shoulder. He turns around and sees a lettuce standing behind him. Afraid that this is some sort of lettuce spy come to get revenge for their burning of the Grove, Poo and Jeub immediately burn the lettuce to death.
-As he dies, the lettuce screams "WAIT! I'm Trahearne!"
-Looking at Trahearne's corpse, Jeubadiah says "oops."
-They head back to where the rest of the Fellowship are gathered and explain what happened, although they change it a little to make it sound like someone else murdered Trahearne while they watched.
-Pegleg, Randy, and MiniDredge ponder this new predicament. They need someone to lead their army, as none of them have experience in this matter, but they don't know anyone who can.
-Suddenly, MiniDredge pipes up. He explains that he does actually have some experience in leading armies, having spent some time in the military as a small dredge child. He offers to lead the army.
-The others are initially dubious, as MiniDredge hasn't really exhibited any particular leadership qualities up to that point. But eventually, they give in and allow him to lead, as they can't think of anyone else to do it.
-The next morning, MiniDredge gets in front of the troops and tells them that he is their new leader. He says that they will be called "The Collective" from this point forward. The soldiers shrug and say "sure whatever"
-The next day, the Fellowship meets with Septana, and Oily Lettuce engineer who has been working on a new method of transportation for the Collective.
-She unveils her work, which is revealed to be a sort of flying ship, with a large balloon keeping it afloat. She explains that it is still experimental and that it would be risky to use them in large numbers because many could crash.
-With this new information, MiniDredge orders a large fleet of these ships constructed at Clawr Island while the army itself lands in Orrdor by more conventional means.
-A few days later, the crossing to from Clawr Island to Orrdor is made. Surprisingly, resistance is rather weak. They create a beachhead without much trouble and begin pushing inland towards the City of Arah.
-A few days later, MiniDredge comes to the other members of the Fellowship with a special mission. He tells them that he has heard of some sort of artifact nearby which they can use in the war effort. He asks them to go retrieve it. Naturally, they agree.
-The four of them head out alone and go search the area. They find a cave which they figure must contain the artifact, but when they go to investigate they are ambushed by a large group of strangely dredge.
-They narrowly escape the trap and flee the cave, wondering why there would be dredge so deep within Orrdor.
-When they arrive back at the Collective camp they find that MiniDredge has disappeared. The army is now under the command of Septana, who had been made second in command by MiniDredge.
-Later that night, in their tent, the Fellowship talks about MiniDredge and the events of the day. Pegleg brings up the possibility that he could have betrayed them, but no one can seem to figure out what would have motivated it. Eventually, they give up and go to sleep.
-After these events, the invasion continues on more or less as it had before. The Risen continue to put up surprisingly weak resistance, and Septana posits that they are focusing their defenses on Arah.
-When they are about a day out from Arah, Septana calls the Fellowship in, along with a man called Warmaster Chan. She asks them to go on a mission for her.
-She orders them out to the town of Meddler's Summit, a small but important area currently under the control of the Risen. She explains that the Risen have been using it as a prison camp, and that she wants to rescue the prisoners and take the town, and that she is having them do it.
-They agree to go on this mission, and set out. On their way to there, Warmaster Chan introduces himself more formally and tells them about himself. They grow to like him.
-Finally, they arrive at Meddler's Summit. They sneak in, kill the guards, and set the prisoners free. Along with the now freed prisoners, they take out the rest of the garrison- thus capturing the city.
-After the battle one of the former prisoners comes up to where the Fellowship + Warmaster Chan are hanging out talking amongst themselves and introduces himself as Maclaine Valenroff.
-When hearing his last name, the members of the Fellowship perk up and ask how he ended up in Orrdor.
-Maclaine explains that he was from Cantha, and that he had formerly been in the possession of the Sword of Nex. Sadly, his house had been raided and the Sword taken by the forces of Poobadoo. The rest of his family had been killed.
-Pegleg ponders this news, and she decides along with the rest of the Fellowship that they can't really do anything about it now. However, they do promise Maclaine that they will take him with them to Lyon after they are done with Orrdor, and that maybe Kookoochoo will have some information that can help him. Maclaine thanks them.
-The next day they all leave Meddler's Summit with the exception of a small group of former prisoners which they leave behind to defend it in the event of a counterattack by the Risen.
-When they arrive back at the Collective camp, they find soldiers loading up into airships- presumably the fleet that had been ordered earlier. They go to Septana's tent.
-They find her and ask what's going on. She explains that Poobadoo seems to have an undead lieutenant guarding the city- an elder dragon named Zhaitan.
-In order to defeat the flying beast, she has decided to utilize the airships so that they can fight it from the air, rather than being sitting ducks on the ground. Everyone agrees that this is probably a good idea. Septana offers to save spots for the Fellowship on her own flagship, the Glory of Moogooloo. They accept, eager for a chance to fight and kill Zhaitan.
-The next day, the assault begins. The airships lift off and wait for Zhaitan to appear, while the ground forces attack the walls of the city. Aboard the Glory of Moogooloo, the Fellowship waits with their weapons drawn.
-Suddenly, they hear a roar from above. Too late, they realise that Zhaitan had been flying above them the whole time. The dragon descends from above and rams the front of the ship. Randy, who had been standing there, is thrown off. Poo and Jeub scream "NOOO!" and run over to the edge of the airship, but it is too late. The fall is hundreds of feet, and they both know Randy could not have survived.
-They don't have much time to mourn, because Zhaitan immediately comes around for another pass. This time, he targets the main bridge of the airship- ramming it at full speed. Within the command center, Septana is killed instantly.
-The Glory of Moogooloo begins to go into a dive, but the remaining three members of the Fellowship are able to jump off of it at the last moment and climb on Zhaitan's back. They make their way up to his head even as he tries to shake them off.
-When they arrive at the dragon's head, all three of them cast their most powerful spells directly into Zhaitan's skull. His brain explodes, and the formerly undead dragon is just dead once again.
-Zhaitan crashes heavily into the ground, but Pegleg is able to cast a spell which cushions the impact. The three of them survive unscathed.
-Meanwhile, the Collective storms the walls of Arah and takes it with ease. As it turns out, the Risen had not been gathering at Arah as Septana had thought. Much of their army seems to have fled before the Collective arrived- although no one can tell where exactly they've gone.
-In the aftermath of the battle, Warmaster Chan takes control of the Collective. Pegleg suggests to him that they go to Moogooloo, as that is likely where Poobadoo will strike first. Warmaster Chan agrees, but states that the Collective has their own matters to attend to- namely the looting of Arah. That said, he agrees that they will make their way to Moogooloo when possible. Pegleg thanks him.
-After this, the Fellowship holds a small funeral for Randy. Saddened by the loss of their friend, they nevertheless remain committed to their quest for the cabbage. Pegleg begins searching for the magical energy that the cabbage puts off, and quickly finds it- in a nearby cave.
-They travel through the city, past Collective soldiers who are currently in the process of pillaging everything they can find. They reach the cave entrance, and go in.
-The cave itself proves to be a winding Labyrinth, almost impossible to traverse. Luckily, they have Pegleg's magic tracking to help them and they are able to find their way to the Chamber of the One True Cabbage.
-However, the Cabbage is not as undefended as they would have liked. It is guarded by an ancient creature of a race long extinct. When it sees them, it yells "DEFILERS! POISONERS! WE SEE YOU, WE KNOW YOUR FOUL INTENT...THIS CABBAGE MUST REMAIN AS IT IS, AND YOU MUST DIE!"
-The guardian attacks them, but it is old and has grown weak in its inaction. They destroy it with relative ease. When it is dead, they cross over to the back of the cave to look for the cabbage.
-They eventually find a chest, which contains the One Cabbage, as well as various other magical trinkets including some flying broomsticks and a magic carpet. They begin arguing about who should get which, but before they can decide they hear footsteps behind them.
-The three heroes spin around to see what the disturbance was. Standing behind them is a massive undead creature- seemingly created in the form of a human but at least three times the size. It says "I am the High Priest of Poobadoo...that cabbage belongs to my lord. Hand it over and you will die quickly."
-Poo and Jeub instinctively know that they cannot defeat such a creature- it is far too large and has almost certainly been inbued with Poobadoo's magical energy. Pegleg also realises this, but she also knows that the cabbages must not fall into Poobadoo's hands. Thus, she decides to sacrifice herself so Poo and Jeub can escape.
-She yells "RUN!" and charges the High Priest. Poo and Jeub oblige, but spare one quick glance backwards towards their friend. They see only an extremely bright light. Assuming this to be some powerful spell cast by one of the combatants, they don't give it a second thought as they flee the cave with the cabbages.
-Outside, the two remaining members of the Fellowship decide to go back to Lyon and tell Kookoochoo what has happened. They are on their way out of Arah when Poobaloo remembers Maclaine, and their promise to him. They go back into the city, explain recent events, and convince him to go to Lyon with them.
-The three of them make good time back to Lyon, arriving within a few days. They immediately go to the Council Chambers and are greeted by Kookoochoo.
-Kookoochoo immediately notices that their party is much reduced, and asks them what has happened to their friends. Poo and Jeub explain what has happened. Kookoochoo is saddened by news of Pegleg's death, but knows that it's useless to dwell on now.
-After Poo and Jeub are finished telling their story, Maclaine introduces himself and explains why he is there. Kookoochoo finds his story extremely interesting, as he had just recently got word of something that might be related.
-He explains that just yesterday he had recieved word of the Lyonguard that a large group of Risen had been seen in The Mists (an alternate dimension in a constant state of war between the Lyonguard and a race of strange demonic creatures known as the Ancient Evil). They had cleary been carrying something important, although the Lyonguard couldn't get close enough to see what it was. They had entered Cabbagedale, a massive castle currently held by the Ancient Evil.
-Kookoochoo postulates that the object these Risen were carrying is probably the stolen Sword of Nex, and that they are keeping it in Cabbagedale in hopes of preventing anyone from getting it and using it against Poobadoo.]
-He tells the Poo and Jeub that they should go to Cabbagedale and retrieve the sword, as it is sure to be extremely valuable in the war to come. Maclaine agrees to go with them, since he feels partly responsible for the loss of the sword in the first place.
-As they are leaving to go to the Mists, Kookoochoo asks Poobaloo to give him the cabbage shards as well as the one cabbage, so that Kookoochoo can use his magic to repair the shards and guard them. Poobaloo hands them over, and then leaves along with Jeubadiah and Maclaine.
-The portal to the Mists is located in the center of the city, and so they go there. Getting permission from the Lyonguard to go through the portal is difficult until they mention Kookoochoo, at which point they are allowed in without any further arguments.
-When they arrive in the Mists, they find it to be fairly similar to the real world. There are few trees, and the land is mostly flat- but other than that fairly normal.
-Taking directions from a few Lyonguard they meet, they are able to get to find Cabbagedale. The walls are heavily manned by both demonic creatures and risen soldiers, so they decide to find an alternative way in.
-Searching the walls, they eventually find a small culvert- just large enough for them to crawl through single file.
-They make their way into the fortress, figuring that the sword is likely deep within. The deeper they get, the more soldiers they find, but they are able to avoid most of them and kill the rest without raising an alarm.
-Finally, they reach a massive room which contains a large pedestal at the center. Stabbed into the pedestal is the Sword of Nex itself. Hundreds of soldiers guard it.
-Jeub and Poo try to think of a way in which they might be able to reach the sword unseen, but eventually realise that it simply is not possible considering the layout of the room and the sheer number of enemy soldiers.
-Thus, they decide to just charge in and attempt to confuse everyone so much that they can get in and out before their enemies organize enough to stop them. Maclaine stays behind, as he doesn't have magic to protect him like Jeub and Poo do.
-The two heroes begin casting fire spells, burning a path through the enemy soldiers with such speed that their enemies don't even know what's happening. They grab the sword and run.
-The remaining troops chase after them, and the three adventurers bolt for the exit. They get to the wall, but as they are about to jump off to safety, Maclaine is hit by a stray arrow.
-Maclaine goes to his knees with an arrow protruding from his chest. As his vision grows dark, he yells for Poo and Jeub to flee. As they do so, the enemy soldiers overtake Maclaine and finish him off.
-Jeub and Poo are somewhat saddened by Maclaine's death, although they didn't know him all that well. They make their way back to friendly lands with the sword, and return through the portal to Lyon.
-They quickly return to the Council Chambers and are granted a meeting with Kookoochoo once again. When he walks in to see them, they notice he looks stressed.
-Poobaloo asks him what's up, and he explains that a massive army recently appeared outside Moogooloo- comprised of risen, frogmen, nightmare lettuces, and all manner of undead monstrosities. The most recent estimates put the number of foes at 50,000 troops. Moogooloo's elite army has been able to hold the wall thus far, but they cannot hold on much longer. Poobadoo himself has been seen leading the army.
-Stunned by this news, Jeub and Poo nonetheless are hopeful now that they have the Sword of Nex and the Four Cabbages of Power. Kookoochoo agrees that things could be worse.
-Kookoochoo gives Poobaloo the four cabbages, now reforged into their true forms, and Jeubadiah takes up the Sword of Nex. Together with Kookoochoo, Poowulpi, and the entirety of the Council Guard, they leave Lyon to go to Moogooloo's aid.
-They arrive a few days later. The city still stands, but it doesn't look to be doing so well. The walls have been breached, and the city itself is under heavy assault by Poobadoo's forces.
-Upon seeing the sheer size of Poobadoo's army, the heroes realise that they have no chance of reaching Poobadoo given the current situation. They begin to lose hope as they realise they do not have time to bring in reinforcements.
-As despair sets in, Jeubadiah hears a sound in the distant. He listens closely and tells the others to quiet down. Suddenly, he realises what it is- the sound of collective airships. He looks to the south and sees almost the entire Collective fleet sailing towards them. He points and yells for the others to look.
-The small party looks up in hope, and sees the first of the airships begin to descend towards them. As it nears the ground, Warmaster Chan himself jumps off it and welcomes his friends, saying "sorry for taking so long!"
-As they are greeting one another, Poobadoo's forces notice the new threat on the horizon. Poobadoo orders the majority of his forces to meet this new threat while the rest continue the assault.
-The Collective Airships unload their soldiers- about 30,000 troops all tolled. Warmaster Chan begins ordering his troops to form up in battle, and the battle lines are drawn.
-On the other side of the battle, Poobadoo senses the power of the cabbages and the Sword of Nex, and knows that he has to destroy their bearers as soon as possible, or he risks death. He recognizes Poobaloo and Jeubadiah as the bearers, and begins casting a powerful spell.
-Warmaster Chan senses that something is wrong, and turns around just in time to see a bright flash from the enemy lines. A beam of magical energy shoots across the field, headed right towards Poo and Jeub. Without thinking, Chan jumps in front of it.
-Poo and Jeub watch as Warmaster Chan blocks the magical beam. He is annihilated instantly. The death of one more friend renews their resolve to kill Poobadoo once and for all, and they charge into the enemy army along with the Collective.
-As the chaos of battle begins to take hold, Poobaloo, Jeubadiah, and the Quaggan Council carve a path directly towards their target- Poobadoo.
-They arrive at Poobadoo's position, and they are about to begin the final confrontation when the ground begins to shake. Both sides stop battling briefly in confusion, wondering where the tremors are coming from.
-Suddenly, the ground begins to open up, and from it comes hundreds of dredge tunneling machines. Dredge pour out of the machines in droves, and begin attacking both sides. Confusion reigns across the battlefield.
-One of the machines rises out of the ground in between Poobadoo and the heroes. When it opens, only one dredge comes out. One which Poo and Jeub recognize immediately. MiniDredge.
-MiniDredge reveals that he wants the Cabbages for himself, and that he will kill both Poobadoo and the Quaggan Council to get them if he has to. Poobaloo is enraged by this betrayal, as he in particular had considered MiniDredge a good friend. He attacks.
-As MiniDredge and Poobaloo duel, Jeubadiah draws the Sword of Nex and charges at Poobadoo. The Dark Lord and the jeub begin their duel, with Kookoochoo and Poowulpi lending Jeubadiah their support in deflecting Poobadoo's magical attacks.
-Even with the help of the Sword and the Council, the power of the Dark Lord is too much for Jeubadiah. He is soon overwhelmed, and Poobadoo backhands him across the field, where he lies unconscious. Poobadoo prepares to finish him off with a magical spell.
-Suddenly, a bright light appears in the sky. From it come two figures. The first is immediately recognized by Kookoochoo and Poowulpi as Pegleg, although she seems different now.
-Pegleg casts a spell at Poobadoo which catches him offguard and interrupts his attacks. As she does so, the other figure comes out of the light. It looks like an Oily Lettuce, but no one recognizes him at first. He picks up the Sword of Nex and advances on Poobadoo.
-Poobadoo is able to deflect the first blow from his new foe, but he immediately recognizes that this enemy is far more formidable than the jeub. Still, he feels confident.
-Poobadoo and the Oily Lettuce begin to duel, and Poobadoo seems to gain the upper hand at first. However, even as he seems to be about to win, the light in the sky flares up once more, blinding him temporarily. The Oily Lettuce takes the opportunity and stabs the Dark Lord through the heart.
-However, Poobadoo is not about to go down easily, and he casts one final spell before he dies. This spell creates a magical explosion which annihilates everything for miles around- including all three armies.
-As the fires of Poobadoo's final spell rage around them, the heroes close their eyes and wait for death. After a few seconds, they realise that they aren't going to be killed, and they open their eyes.
-Immediately they can see the source of their protection, an extremely powerful magic shield which surrounds them all. In the confusion of this moment, MiniDredge grabs the cabbages from Poobaloo and flees in his tunneling machine.
-When the fires die down, Poobaloo and Jeubadiah (who has awakened) look at the Oily Lettuce. Immediately, they recognize him for who he is: Randy the Butternub in a new form.
-As they are about to ask him how this is possible, the light in the sky flares one last time and a final figure emerges from it. Poo and Jeub recognize him: Flipdroop.
-As soon as Flipdroop emerges, everyone begins asking questions. Flipdroop holds up one hand and begins explaining everything.
-After he died, Flipdroop had been visited by Mellaggan herself. She had explained the situation to him, and told him that he must take up the mantle of God of the Quaggans. When he asked why he must do this, she had merely said that her time was over, and that a new god must take over.
-At this point, she had transferred all her power to him, dying in the process. With his newfound power, he had set about aiding the heroes in their quest. For example, it had been him who suggested to Randy that he help the heroes enter the jeub fortress, and it had been him who saved them from the karka in Southsun Cove.
-In addition to this, he had given Randy new life when he died, and saved Pegleg from the High Priest of Poobadoo. He had taken them up to his god realm in preparation for the final battle, where they had returned.
-After he explains this, Kookoochoo speaks up- asking "why didn't you reveal yourself though?"
-Flipdroop nods, seemingly having expected this question. He explains that he had done it out of the fear that Poobadoo may have caught wind of his ascension and tried to go into hiding. By not telling anyone, he had drawn Poobadoo out. Kookoochoo accepts this explanation.
-With all the explanations and greetings taken care of, Flipdroop bids his friends and followers farewell and returns through the portal to his realm, alone.
-The remaining members of the Fellowship stand around for a while, and then Jeubadiah pipes up and says "well what now?" Poobaloo suggests they go to Lyon and gets a beer. Everyone agrees.
-A few days later, they are in a tavern getting drunk when Poobaloo thinks to check his pockets for the cabbages. He finds them empty, and realizes that they have been stolen- although he doesn’t know the culprit. With a tinge of fear he thinks to himself that they haven't seen the last of the Cabbages.
Fin ?