RPG Campaigns

Giraine Summaries

Hi,

Before you left the central platform where Ollamor and Fraud were discussing Arkati matters, Ollamor spoke to you all, inviting you to take on the mantle of being Arkati-which to her meant that you protected the Other Side from those who would misuse heroquesting (e.g. Godlearners); not a religious affiliation per se. Boamund, with a new hatred of Arkati simmering inside him, was only starting to wake up from his shock of the Styx priestess's curse so he had no reply; Miguel liked the thought but said it wasn't the right path for him now; but Bog threw himself into the role with gusto. You then left to the northeastern tower. Night had fallen; many hours had passed during your heroquest. Along the way Boamund spotted something moving in the garden below the tower and perhaps in the stagnant waters beside it but wasn't sure what these furtive motions were.

At the tower, you found that it was a fine intact Second Age structure ringed with simple troll statue-faces, and short staircases on the south and west sides leading up to impressive double leaden doors embossed with Darkness runes and depictions of Uz warriors. It emanated cold, especially from the doors, and Bog proudly forced them open. Inside you found a pristine space, with apparent cold-magic enchantments preserving barrels of spiced meats, amphorae of fine old sweet wines, and jars of pickled vegetables. But Bog was most interested in the fearsome red statue of Zorak Zoran atop a central dias surrounded by a lead ring in the floor- he rushed to it, throwing himself prostrate and calling upon its power. Miguel and Boamund held back in discomfort. As Bog crawled across the leaden ring, a terrible Demon of Crolar (giant scorpion-thing with three mouths where pincers might be, and a huge spiked tail; plus many extra pincered rear legs) manifested with a blast of hellish cold. He recognized it for what it was and hailed it; it regarded him inscrutably as he prayed aloud to Zorak Zoran, who immediately was receptive in this still-active shrine, which seemed to welcome worship after so many centuries unused. So Bog reconnected with his terrible god at last, sacrificing his obsidian Velociraptor statue which he left on the dias.

Meanwhile Boamund and Miguel followed a bronze-bound ladder up 12m to the tower's top, where Boamund forced open a lead hatch and gained access to an excellent vantage point, able to see around the misty landscape for 360 degrees. There was a tower to the west that had its top shorn off and was in poor shape, with a tree growing out the northwestern side's crack, and a powerful wreath of magical darkness around the whole tower that made its interior imperceptible. Miguel used Sense Life to see a shape down by the base of the tower in the water, and another larger shape in the garden; so something was indeed lurking in those two places; elsewhere in the jungles there was so much life it was hard to see anything distinct. Bog, smelling the fine wines, then set to rejoicing with imbibing said wines, and then gorging on the meats and veggies, much to his drunken delight. Miguel joined the feast in more moderation.

Boamund went to Fraud to update him, then a hideous corruption of a scorpion crept in through the doors, dripping algal slime- it was as big as a great troll and sported huge pincers and a face replaced by writhing tendrils. It engaged Miguel and Bog alone, under the judging gaze of the Demon of Crolar who just hissed atop the dias. Bog and Miguel gave it their best, keeping the fight to a stalemate for a few rounds until, hearing the commotion, Fraud and Boamund ran to aid it; and it was surrounded. Soon enough Boamund dealt a killing blow. Besotted Bog offered its corpse to the Demon, who accepted it with relish, pulverising it with its tail so its fanged mouths could slurp the juices.

Fraud and Boamund explored the top of the tower, and Fraud saw down to the south there were Swampspiders spinning threads across the stream and crossing into the Arkatzar. Alarmed, you hurried that way, when a shudder shook the castle and its surroundings. Uh oh! Ollamor called to Fraud so you went to the central platform, where she explained that the Ages were indeed converging (metaphorically at least?) and old and new enemies were aware of the end of the curse on the Arkatzar, so they came here “in haste” and you were urged to prepare to defend yourselves and the castle. But first, Ollamor recommended, the castle itself needed securing- it was still rife with lingering threats.

You opted to go help the Swampspiders, seeing how it was likely they'd face off with the Monster-spiders you'd seen hints of earlier. And you were right- atop the southwestern walls where the Monster-spiders had woven uncouth sheets of their webs around statuary, there was a furious battle between a dozen or so Swampspiders and the three Monster-spiders. One of the latter had killed its foes and, spotting you, spread its arms wide in threat and rushed you, followed closely by your friend the three-banded swampspider. Miguel was watching the scene from his view atop the intact tower. It was a short fight- the spider failed to leap on the Monster-spider, and Bog fended off its blows while you all hewed into its thorax, then Bog dealt a massive killing blow with his maul. Hurrah! The last two Monster-spiders were soon finished off by the swarming, merciless Swampspiders who cut them apart with their mandibles and webbed up the trophies.

The three-banded Swampspider explained that its fellows had encountered strange things in the central jungle to the east (across the river), so you went back around the castle to investigate. There was a massive crack in the castle walls, filled by tree roots and trunks, which made an easy climb down. Fraud went first and was quickly ambushed by a vicious little humanoid flower-monster, with thorny claws and sharp venomous fangs. It bit into his neck and frustrated his attempts to pull it off until others joined you, with the Swampspider webbing its leg, Bog eventually leaping down off the walls, and Boamund slaying it with an ice-sword blow to the chest.

But immediately more of these demons leapt into the fray from out of the jungle- seven of them. They were frail but disregarded lost limbs and injected sap-like venom whose effects were yet unclear; you fought hard and Boamund soon mopped many of them up, aided by the spider and Bog, then finally helping Fraud rid himself of two. Bog had been envenomed as had the spider, but wounds were otherwise minimal. Yet was this jungle area now safe or not? You'd only just entered and its thick, warped vegetation seemed full of peril.

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