Hi,
Boamund had second thoughts about Lord Falmidrandigyrr's tomb. You were there, he'd seen the glint of gold, so why not go for it? So you cast your magics on him and Ahappi and they descended again to that ledge over the crypt floor. Boamund leapt down to challenge the small spark of flame that remained there, and it immediately blossomed into a giant ball of furiously roaring, blazing heat. He learned quickly that it was so hot it melted anything it touched, including his nice spear which after a couple of blows was nothing but molten cinders. Ahappi kept Boamund's replacement weapons enchanted and this did the trick- with some nimble manoevering around the flaming guardian, Lord Boamund whittled it down until it collapsed into ash with a final burst of heat. He'd fortunately survived with only minor burns, too, and on inspection found that a niche at the back of the tomb held buried riches– 5431 golden Imperial crowns from the Second Age, a begemmed golden torque w/fiery horse emblems and a gold-plated ruby-bedecked scepter with a Fire rune atop it; all clearly Old Seshnelan symbols of Talar nobility. Relieved to have survived this harrowing but heroic exploit, the two explorers returned to the surface and Narak used her Witchsight to tell them that the gold items were not magical. But they sure caught the glint of sunlight nicely and must be worth something to someone…
You withdrew from this site and hiked on through these strange lands. By nightfall another rainstorm had come, and Miguel had to find good shelter for you, which he did-and it gave you a fine defensible spot for later. Boamund was on guard late that night when he espied swirling dust and bones outside your camp, standing out from the storm. Spectal forms were entering this world- three howing and hissing wraiths of vaguely human origin. You had enough advance warning to take defensive positions, and Narak threw a mightly Spirit Resistance blessing on all of you-which made all the difference! The wraiths were left to howl ineffectually at you while your magical weapons sent them screaming back to their plane. But this was another sign that the land you'd been travelling through was not right; bad things had happened here.
Narak was feeling tired after the next day's voyage so with the pig-travois dragging Shaven, her stumbling along, and the Perfecti Skallia you made a ragged, trudging band, slowly progressing back west, 9 days now since you left Jett's camp-but Narak was sure now that today you'd find the secret that she and Glut were sniffing out. The rain had stopped and this made their task easier. Glut, however, grew increasingly unsettled as the day went on. You'd entered a tortuous series of canyons and gullies in these badlands; dry and desolate for Giraine. The pig soon was erupting in squeals of fear, which Narak did her best to placate, but confided in Miguel that the smell of death was in the air; an evil power held sway here, and Glut had scented it. But they could only track the secret they were after so they did not know its nature. Even brave, independent Narak showed fear in her voice at the telling.
The evil found you, though. It hunted you. First, with its distant presence, scaring off what little life was left here. Hunting was non-existent. And once in a while you'd feel a tremor or hear what seemed like a roaring or booming sound. Closer and closer it wove its web of fear and uncertainty, and Narak was close to panic. You caught whiffs of a nasty stench and the sounds and quaking grew closer, more intense. Ahappi wondered aloud of this might be some sort of earth demon or Gazzam (dinosaur/earth-shaker; something unknown to these lands and your experience). And soon it came-Boamund saw it rounding a corner, sneaking up on you, and it bellowed a frustrated call then charged, racing at Narak who had dared reach out with Earth-spirit-speaking sorcery. Miguel ran out of its way but Boamund stood firm, and Ahappi cast a Drown spell that soon had it choking. Together, your efforts wore it down; leaving it stumbling and confused by arrows and spear thrusts and drowning while Narak and Glut took refuge at the centre of your group (indeed, its choking odour left her incapacitated). With a final blow, Boamund struck it dead and stepped out of its way as its bulk collapsed with an echoing thud. It was a valiant victory over this pustule-studded, vile monstrosity-and too close! Those claws, tail and snapping jaws could easily have slain any of you in one strike.
Silence soon fell and you cleansed yourself of the pus that had burst from its body onto you. Deeper into the gulley system, a rumbling sound from the side walls betrayed a rockfall that threatened to bury you, but you all escaped safely. It did seem odd that in one day you'd met an “earth-shaker” and experienced the earth shaking on its own; was something else behind all this? But soon enough you came to a blind canyon down which a great cave maw loomed, blocked by what seemed to be a large boulder. Narak said this was the secret place Glut had smelled. On inspection, that boulder looked more than it seemed, and Darktongue addresses to it caused it to raise up large antennae-it was a huge stony beetle, bedecked with smaller ones that scrambled away as it shifted its weight and beheld you as you asked to pass it into the cave. It let Boamund in but kept his iron sword under its body; no poison-metal could enter here. Soon Miguel and Narak came along with Glut and Shaven. Skallia and Ahappi awaited awkwardly outside, with Ahappi soon to lose patience amidst his curiosity about the menace that afflicted the earth here.
Boamund had already explored deeper into the cave; down a tunnel past two tight squeezes to a short cliff face where he awaited you. Narak and Miguel had some trouble passing those squeezes but made it through with each others' help. At the cliff, you debated how to continue in the increasing darkness but eventually agreed for Boamund to climb down with a rope attached to a stalactite and then the others to haul Shaven down (hoping to get him healed by the Uz) using Glut as a fulcrum (Glut could go no further). This worked OK after some struggling, so you continued. A swarm of hungry little black beetles was the next obstacle. Before they could munch on you, Narak showed her worth again by invoking a Repugnance spell that made you malodorous to them, so they parted before you and Boamund led you to a tunnel that exited this larger cavern. The tunnel connected to yet another cave of uncertain shape or size, and there you found the Uz.
Hishoomka the Gorakiki priestess greeted you from the dark. “Good Hoomanz are back; you make big noise coming in to Gorakiki-Beetle-Dug-A-Nest. Soft voices now. Watch: I dance for you to show the tale of our coming.” And so she and her six initiates and centipede ally danced a stirring dance to tell their story; it chilled some of you with its eerie nature, confused others, and was lovely to Boamund who understood: when the Rokari came to Aria's Well, the Uz cast Darkness magics to hide their escape and, knowing from the Sage Scarabs that there was this holy cavern here, they hid in the daytime and in the trees or mud or stones, lying low like Ham beetles, then moved at night like Darkwatch beetles, and they were soon here and they like it. You are about two days from where Jett's camp is, and they showed aplomb getting here but do not want to leave; it is too dangerous out there. They did not show interest in fighting the Rokari but expressed that you were troll-friends and so could be here. Indeed, as Hishoomka spoke her cultists had kept dancing; more magic was afoot.
But first, Hishoomka told you what they'd learned from the Sage Scarabs before their retreat: The answer to your final question was, “The Old Gods have spoken to us this once. Granno knew the three Old Gods like no one else did, but abandoned them to save his folk, and so the nymphs of the Old Gods fled to dismal places, taking on dismal moods. Deep Mother is Mistress of the drowned lands and folk, Caller of the terrors from the dripping pools, Black widow of the secret abyss. Red River Tanosh the Ever-Youthful is He who makes the blood weep from wounds and cool as it runs; He who hews at the sorcerors and casts them into Hell; He who fears nothing in the Fosnoir. Loidar the Skinless Prince is Scion of the Long Eel, Brooder in the flaming grave, Forger of blades from boulders. The nymphs are the Old Gods' children. Elders of the Sharde, Sottogh and Huru clans continue to revere these umbrous spirits from the pre-Dawn. Granno could return to lead them all, but the family was shattered. Two have returned. Two are the most lost, the most shattered. A nameless nymph was led astray; her return would heal ancient wounds. Then within the binding of Prisonne of ye Traitore, one must ask who the Stranger is, and find them.”
OK, some of that made sense and other bits, like the ending, did not. Narak was very perplexed and curious about it all, asking Miguel, who told what he could. Narak agreed with your speculation that the “nymphs” might be the Mud Hag(s); maybe the Sottogh had something to do with them? Then you asked if Shaven might be healed somehow and they said he already had been; indeed, he exclaimed “Why thank you!” when untied from his travois, as he'd just awoken. The Gorakiki also had powers of Xiola Umbar, the troll healing goddess/spirit, and they were more than happy to use them on their new friend Fraud Shaven, seeing his plight. You asked, too, what had become of the big troll Riftoyz and his friend Lars the scholar- they'd been off beetle-hunting when the Rokari came, and so Hishoomka thinks they are well, but know not of their likely whereabouts. Finally, as you departed Narak had private words with Hishoomka and left in good spirits.
It was easy to leave the cave complex and soon you met Skallia outside- but Ahappi had left already. You waved farewell to Great Ham the giant beetle (as Hishoomka called him) and set off tracking the wayward Captain…
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