Hey guys,
You sailed out from New Arv, following tips from The Shadow's crew who knew of this Manta ship and its infamous pirate Lagriffe the Gourmand, known for a taste in haute cuisine as well as gold. Ahappi gave a somewhat stirring speech to motivate the crew, some of whom were new and most of whom had gone “soft” trading with Amur in local waters over recent weeks, rather than adventuring. Fraud Shaven had fallen ill with indigestion and kept to below-decks for most of the voyage, where Micaela also was secured.
And you spotted that clunky, armoured transport ship's signature manta-ray sail soon enough, in foggy coastal waters near the reefs as you'd been told. A chase ensued as they spotted the strange, sleek Shadow coming for them, sped by infernal dark watery magics. You closed in but they managed to manoeuvre you into fog and perilously close to the reefs; yet some excellent shiphandling by Ahappi prevented disaster. And you continued closing after exchanging scorpion-machine fire, until finally the Shadow rammed the Manta and boarding began.
(we tried out the mass combat rules and although the “armies” were tiny I thought it worked well) Orations and commands were shouted and magics blazed into action. At first boarding didn't go smoothly and your smaller crew took some precious losses, but you pushed back with some good commanding (despite strong morale from the enemy, boosted by their captain who persevered Miguel's keen arrow shot). The foe lost heart once Boamund got an opening and rushed Captain Lagriffe, quickly putting him down with a spear-thrust into his face. What was left of the crew quickly surrendered, jumped ship or fought to the bitter end. None of them survived once Boamund delivered the execution orders for these foul pirates, and with the captain strung to the mast to appease Boamund's spirit-bracelet, the Manta was cloven atwain by the Shadow and delivered to Magasta's depths.
Ahappi dispensed with the decent amount of looted goods you recovered from the Manta before it sank, and the crew's spirits were high despite a couple of losses. Ahappi then leapt into the waters, calling for Omen the fish, who soon came. Omen warned of sharks gathering to feast, but Ahappi used magics to placate them. Omen also said that the Ouori were upset about someone hunting their pups, and about something else bad, and Ahappi offered his help when useful, asking that he be able to speak with the merman priest(s) about becoming a Magastan theist. Omen quivered at this grim goal, warning that it would be hard to switch religions, but commenting that maybe “Saint Magasta” was a Godlearner lie anyway. Omen would help you find the Ouori sooner or later, he promised.
You set sail for the northern Giraine coast, planning to visit the Huru clan and maybe the pteranodon Star-Thief Roundtip. Ahappi piloted the Shadow extremely well, persevering the rough monsoonal storms all the way past the vicious gales that blew around the horn of Giraine, tossing the ship to and fro and pelting it with rain. Then, as you approached the sheltered cove near the foot of St Granno's Mountain, the weather strangely calmed, except that the grey cloudiness gave way to vile brownish sludgy clouds that rained rotten filth upon you. And once again, as had happened years before, the disgusting winged reptilian Vilgars came diving in from concealment therein, and combat was on!
It was a heroic fight- the vilgars' gummy spittle disabled Ahappi and Miguel before they could cast mass-sorcery or shoot an arrow, and then they began snapping at you with their snaggletoothed jaws, badly wounding Miguel. But you fought back, with Miguel bravely persevering while Boamund and Ahappi dealt mortal blows to the vilgars that assailed the three of you. The crew lost another precious man in their bitter fight, but the vilgars had their fill of flesh and had taken enough wounds, and, not being the most valorous beasts, fled back into the skies after a few losses. You healed up and had the decks cleaned of disgusting offal while the ship entered the cove.
Before anchoring, Ahappi had a narrow miss with the treacherous hidden rocks of the cove, almost wrecking the Shadow upon them (party Luck pts = 2 now!). But soon enough Curly had you safely on dry ground with his boating of the Shadow's dinghy, and stayed there to make some repairs after a battering. The green pteranodon landed on the beach as you approached the cliffs, and flapped around with its beak wordlessly snapping the air. You noticed it was missing the belt-of-tongues it used to wear; and it had been doing this uncommunicative flappy dance for some years now… had someone stolen its belt and that is why? Ahappi asked and it lowered its beak toward the ground-did that mean the thief was subterranean? In the Mountain-forge? You could not understand more before it launched itself back into the skies and vanished.
Miguel took a rope and climbed the cliffs to the trails that wound their way up the mountain to the Huru lands; Fraud Shaven had recovered now, eager to be on land, and came along but was bludgeoned by a bad rope-climb up the cliffs and needed healing. Once you were all up, you continued. There were more and more signs of the Huru, with totems of charred frogs and broken bones and carved igneous rocks. Amidst some of these along the path, suddenly the ashen soil churned and released six-limbed ashen demons with fanged maws that extended to their bellies. They were quick and merciless and fierce, throwing themselves upon you. Miguel kept one busy by outmanoevering it and dealing a good arrow shot to its head, while Boamund and Fraud wore their opponents down until Ahappi finished his off and helped them dispatch the last.
Further along the trail you met Rudu the warleader, who was expecting you: “Finally you return, as the Wulbu foretold. I did not believe it but now I see it. You have passed the foe's monsters that have plagued the waters below. You have also passed Loidar's ash-demons that keep the foe away from us. You come to speak with Elder Wucru of peace and war. I believe, and I will take you. [pause as he looks them over] I may still have trouble believing the changes time has wrought on the Thralls of Granno, though… who truly is a man that endures such? I have not the wisdom of Granno to know.”
And he led you to the clan's village as night approached. There, Elder Wucru greeted you with left palm facing outward, bearing a black spidery scar. He called for Wulbu (“Wilbi” the once-frog-girl you'd brought from Pithdaros, and Gertrude freed from a sideshow), who had aged into a woman somehow, and now manifested spiritual arms and legs sprouting from her back, which looked like spidery frog limbs to Miguel. She was in a trance as she intoned:
“I have spun a thread of peace with my voiceless song. I have endured the kiss of the Fire Bear. I have become the Princess that Never Was. I have ever been Huru's scion. I have come to the people of the Skinless Prince from a cruel cage of laughter now that the Second Shattering is at hand. I have seen a man who lets his loves be cast into wells and pits and dungeons. I have seen that man's heart still longing for another love, but where will it cast him? I have seen a man that is no man, who carried a woeful soul from its own cage of torment. I have seen that spirit's body in its pile of bones, but will that spirit's heart find peace? I have seen the dead rise many times, amongst them a dead planet. To all, peace will come when they lie amongst the bones at the Hero Wars' end. I have seen that too.”
–You surmised that the first man was Fraud (who was very embarrassed by this), and the second was Ahappi. As she spoke she danced, and her bare footsteps traced out a pattern in the ashy dirt outside the cave. Boamund keenly observed that this pattern was a map: the coast of Giraine, with its neighbour Skeleton Isle where Wulbu now lay, fainting in a sweat after she finished her song-dance. Ahappi cursed that maybe you needed to return to Skeleton Isle; a destestable place known for waylaying or misleading approaching ships, and with the sole known occupant being a powerful, very crazy Brithini sorcerer “The Theophobe”.
Elder Wucru then spoke with you as you thought these things over. He agreed, very quickly, that the Huru would help the colonists against the Rokari– “When last you came, you awoke Loidar to fight the necromancers and so it shall be.” But this must involve the Sottogh too, and he cautioned that would be no simple task.
The pteranodon came up and he said, “Yet… when last you came, you caused much consternation to the great pteranodon. The Huru do not fathom it but it nests atop the tallest spire of St Granno's Mountain.”
You wondered if you could pursue the potential thief into the caves beneath the mountain and he replied, “Indeed, if you wish to venture back into the Heart of the Mountain, you again have our blessing. Once again, though, we caution you not to disturb the sacred Kivis who slumbers therein. Most holy to Loidar is the Kivis; the Fire Bear who branded Wulbu and thence the few others it has chosen.” (shows branded palm again )
And Elder Wucru also brought up, with Miguel querying more, that: “The strange Giranois Verker visits here sometimes. He was driven mad by something inside the Mountain, some years ago, and is left alone as holy to the Giranois, but not understood. We Huru obtain gifts from the Mountainsmith, and so does he when he comes.” Yes, Verker had the amazing Loidar-blessed bone bow made here, with the aid of the Mountainsmith (golem-thing) below.
On the subject of the Mountainsmith's forge, warleader Rudu presented to Fraud Shaven a fine piece of new armour– “Elder Wucru speaks of gifts. This has long been waiting for you, Thrall of Granno and pretender to the serpent-throne. Regards from the Huru and the Mountainsmith. May your heart-fire burn evermore behind its wall.” It is an elaborate iron breastplate with a fiery mountain embossment in obsidian: (covers chest only) 7AP, 14AP vs. fire!
And so you made ready to enter the Mountain again. Wucru insisted no enemies lurked therein- the “steam-vampire” called the Venator was long gone thanks to you, and no one else had done in except Verker and some of the Huru.
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