Hi,
A song-like noise came from within the tent and it started to sway along with the whole stage. Maugis threw some palsy spells at the puppet while Boamund burned away at it and Fraud cast a lot of Darkstrikes, one of which hit the puppet (and Ahappi, a little). The Captain was drawn into closer engagement with the blaspheming construct: it grabbed his spear that had impaled it, tried to use it to pin him down, but instead it was tripped and the spear driven through its belly and out its lower back! Ahappi leapt onto its back, and the fire that Boamund had lit on it spread wildly as it screamed in fury, hurling taunts and curses. Soon the puppet faltered, lay twitching with the spear easily withdrawn from it, and fell apart as the flames consumes the more fragile parts holding it together. It had been a robust foe but not against your combined might. Dongly Boo was done, it's true.
Orsattus and his men had manoevered around the back of the tent in time to see the three mules float into the air, humming with their own eerie tune. Without skipping a beat, they aimed their crossbows and quickly put the beasts out of their misery. Indeed, the four men proved their worth with some superb aim; Orsattus not so much.
Other magics were conjured as the poetic tune continued to issue from the tent: hideous purple frogs with eyes on their tongues fell from the skies (harmlessly), and then a wave of magic hit you, leaving your hardened warriors only queasy but Maugis and Orsattus's men fell unconscious, belching up violet vapours. Ahappi crossed the burning stage as the tent began to catch fire more, illuminating the interior of the tent. He espied some figures lying or crouching in there, and called to them to no avail. Throwing a powerful Drown spell at six of them he could see in the growing conflagration, they only changed their song to add in some gurgling noises. Orsattus cut a hole in the back of the tent, then things went truly crazy.
Poem-magics switched Boamund and Fraud's positions (outside) with those of two of the figures inside the tent, and others amongst those figures began to stand and draw daggers, confronting you. They were revealed to be emaciated husks of humanity, with garish, worn costumes concealing most of their bruised skin, and with sunken eyes that glared menacingly with an evil twilight. But the onset of battle proved them to be unskilled and almost mindless, bent only on singing (able to conjure strange features in themselves– chaotic mutations?) and murdering. Orsattus was outnumbered by them but the Captain and then Boamund and Fraud (with Menekeyil's gleaming sword of undeath-slaying active) hewed into the group of a dozen or so former thespians. Ahappi pursued the two actor-zombies outside and made short work of them. You saved Orsattus, desperately on the defensive, from being mobbed by the things, and just in time! The tent was not long from collapsing in flames.
As you left the tent, with all of the horrors dispatched, Boamund and Fraud noticed that the inside of the tent had bloody scrawlings on it, reminiscent of those you'd seen in the Stranger's room in the sewers– and some said “Kim knows krazy” in their rough Seshnegi script. Aha! These things clearly were not only agents of the Purple Prophets, like Kim, but linked directly to “Kim”, maybe even created by her? You piled all of the bodies and other remnants onto the burning tent and ensured everything left was charred. The magics of the poem-songs faded: your comrades awoke, sickened but able to act again. Then you returned homeward, visiting some of the farmers on the way (their surviving victims had now recovered— clearly, you had ended the “Dandy Dancers of Dusk”'s curses) and spreading the word that this menace was over.
At Aria's Well, you met as a group with Syrr Kogag, who was immediately interested in your findings, and even a bit excited in a trollish way. He related news that this “Nanni Pola” in Sun County had been slaughtered with other evil-doers, with the help of troll-friends (he enjoyed this, as it was done in the lands of theist sun-worshippers; hated anti-Uz humans). This Nanni was revealed to be an ogre: a chaotic mockery of a human; beings who hide amongst humans and kill them and eat their flesh, amongst other chaotic acts, including demon-worship. Now it was clear: with what you'd see in the sewers, the actors' tent, and these ogres, these “Purple Prophets” involved secretive and vicious Chaos beings. Kogag said that he thought they were anti-Twilight: against Time itself, against the coming of night or any darkness, and thus against him, too. It confirmed some of his past suspicions but the revelation of a chaos connection made it all the more urgent to stop them. They would not be reasoned with or turned from their path. The actors you'd cut down were examples of their victims. Then amongst the poets/prophets, there were leaders. The “Strangers”, especially “Kim”, must be such leaders (and in that case, probable ogres or other chaos-beings?). They could spread the poem-curse that Fraud Shaven still struggled with, and with time it could turn you not only mad but even into the undead or some other twisted thing.
Syrr Kogag made another announcement: in two nights, on Freezeday, the first day of Dark Season (winter), the Sage Scarabs would finally be mature and ready to reveal secrets of the shadows. And this is how they work: You can ask one question each Freezeday (i.e. week) in Dark Season (8 weeks), except when Uz have their own question. You get to ask this first question of the 'Scarabs this time; not Uz. The single question (no follow-ups/clarifications) must be sung in Darktongue to the priestess, Hishoomka. She will then relay it to the 'Scarabs (you cannot deal with them directly; Uz are protective!) and bring the answer back that same night. The questions must be appropriate to what the 'Scarabs know: secrets that shadows conceal (in Uz/surface lands). So secrets in Hell or hidden in magical Darkness, or underwater, or in very non-Uz-y areas (e.g. inside others' temples) would not be appropriate. But still this is a broad area of knowledge- what a “secret” is and what “hidden” or “shadows” mean might encompass many things. And you have potential advisors around: the Great Troll named Riftoyz has returned to the area with Lars Windchare the natural philosopher, and he can translate or give mundane advice, then also Syrr Kogag himself could answer queries requiring greater wisdom befitting the attention of such a hero as him. You have your common sense, too; and Fraud Shaven is no stranger to darkness-beings and their ways.
The question is, then, with 2 days to prepare, what question should you ask first? And, assuming that Uz take at least half of the remaining 7 questions, leaving you maybe 2-3 at most, what other questions might you ask?
Here are some things you might ask about, that as PCs you'd know (appropriate or not, as noted):
Enemies: -What are the Rokari doing, or what can be done to stop/hinder them? This would need careful wording. Some details might be Church/Royal secrets or just not spoken of/evident in shadowy places. -Same for the Vadeli. What the heck? But you suspect that they are so slippery and shrewd and powerful (some of them) that the 'Scarabs might not find knowledge of them easily. Vadeli are master secret-keepers; deceit is core of their being. -BUT maybe Sage Scarabs could have info to help resolve the “Yellowskin” curse that has afflicted the Captain– albeit he hasn't been acting so (relatively) odd lately, what is going on with that curse? -Chaos beings and other Giraine monstrosities (but which)? -The Purple Prophets/Poets against Twilight/Strangers (Syrr Kogag took no pause in urging you to ask about this at least sometime) -Whomever has The Shadow; unless it is not exposed to shadows somehow (e.g. sunken; in Underworld?) -That “vampire”/wizard in the tower up near Fort Mudlark. He must be an enemy and hiding stuff in shadows, right?
Giraine mysteries: -The Saints; what did they do, what went wrong, what is coming up when you seek Saint Karkovoch's shield? (although this is presumed is iunderwater Arvonesse, so that may be hard to find out– but your mission is impending in ~2 weeks) -The Giranois: so much to ask! They are clearly tied to the island, they were here in between the demise of the Godlearners (or before?) and the arrival of your settlements, and their fate seems linked to many things here, such as their “Old Gods” and even the Saints; or Saint Granno -The Night Dragon: this keeps coming up and is definitely a darkness power so the 'Scarabs should know something, but you don't know what to ask! There was a pterodactyl-thing “Star-thief Roundtip” that used to talk to you but it has gone silent. Draconic things may have links to Giraine? Tenuous, though. Elandra, (Black) Arkat and this Night Dragon power are linked in some way. You have contacts amongst most of those but not really the Night Dragon, which is a “dead” cult – or maybe not. -The Waertagi: they've been here, and surely were here back before Giraine/Seshnela sunk. Lots of mysteries. -The Sewers, and Froalar, and how snakes/serpents relate to the land? Like the Giranois, Froalar's power predates a lot of things here. -The Godlearners: what were they up to on Giraine? Yomil (VERY similar name to the super-famous “Yomili” of mainland Seshnela– but his fate is well known) is said to have been their wizard/necromancer that fought St Granno and was beaten, leaving the Giranois in charge here. But what happened, were the GLs up to anything special here that relates to their empire's doom? You've found all kinds of old GL machine-things (remember the vampire-machine? The “forge” inside the mountain?), ruins and such. -The giant swamp spiders, what are they up to/care about? Probably accessible info. -Your local mud hag or others? -The Library (shudder) that you never speak of anymore…
What else? I have only grabbed some things and may have missed others.
GM note: yes this is, as you think, an opportunity to answer some Big(ish) Questions in the campaign so it does matter, game-wise– and your PCs would think it matters, too. They can feel the power of what the Uz have made possible. And there is flexibility rather than a linear structure to how things go here, so hopefully that will be more fun. It will help if I get an idea (or answer) to what you'll ask so I don't have to improvise and the answer can be optimally useful (within the constraints of the game world).
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