DM Question: Who were some of Nuunya’s friends in Dragon’s Bowl?
Well, I never really had a whole lot friends there, especially after the accusation. But there are two I can still count on: Lefty, the bad thief. I don’t think that after that brief introduction, I need to spell out how he got that nickname. There’s also Slagathor, a bootlegger who’s wanted in Silver Springs for allegedly stealing and running rum. Allegedly.
We’ve been stuck in the monastery of the Tiger’s Focused Flame for about a week now, and I’m starting to feel a little antsy. Damn sandstorms. Ghirgaz at least has some terrible grimoire to keep him entertained with tales of apocalyptic Princes and their prison cells, which apparently can only be opened using special weapons – some of which we’re already familiar with.
There’s a scratching at the main door of the monastery, and it’s not just sand working its damndest to wear it away. Last I checked, a sandstorm wasn’t capable of whispering the word “help.” Ghir opens the door, and an emaciated elf collapses inside the relative calm of the monastery. He looks like he’s been whopped, too. That is, what little skin that hasn’t been worn away by the storm.
He seems mad, but between nonsensical gibberings, he does manage to say “Kled. Gone. All gone.” Perhaps he’s been affected by a madness, but the scars lend him some credence. He continues: “Arisi came. Took all. Slaves.” In the mad ramblings before his death, we’re able to learn that they were betrayed by the Feathergale Knights. The refugees that survived and escaped say that the dead he saw, seemed to perhaps die of some sort of lung trauma? And the bodies were emaciated – unnaturally so. People were also clearly branded with the sigil of the Air Cultists. He also heard rumblings of a Council of Despair in the ruins of Freedom.
Well, our next course of action seems clear. We wait for the storm to die down, and make the one and a half day trek to Kled. On the way, we indeed see the Kinghts of the Feathergale flying patrols, but we all keep our respective distances. Outside Kled, we hide the Sand Witch, leaving her safely with a small crew, and finish the trek to Kled on foot.
The path is strewn with crushed carts and corpses – both of humans and pack animals. And some of them – what look like ponies – appear to have been dropped from great heights. Who would do such a thing? But, I digress. It also looks as though the area has been battered by great winds. Fitting, considering the alleged-but-likely attackers.
Arvos wildshapes to investigate further, and seeing an incoming scout flying in, I hide as we all sort of scatter. Kary flies up and away, and the two Feathergale Knights give chase, eventually catching up with him and they land about 1,000 feet way. Ghrigaz and I head his way. We take out a knight and his vulture in short order, but things are about to get worse. A horn bellows out, and two more Knights above us as large chunks of metal fall from the sky.
The metal though – rare as metal is – isn’t random chunks of slag. I make out what appear to be parts of giant armor, and a flail. With all these pieces now in close proximity to each other on the ground, a wind starts swirling, and the empty armor starts forming itself with a crackling blue energy – a giant Air Elemental Myrmidon.
With this monstrosity heading towards me, and me likely not being much use against it, I wish Ghirgaz luck as I close to Kary who now is fighting off a few Knights who are much more susceptible to arrows than an air elemental.
My tactic works – one of the Knights splits off to deal with me. After killing his vulture and deriving him of the high ground, we trade wounds back and forth before I teleport directly behind him and put my rapier through his throat. With Kary safe, thinking it may be handy, I liberate the horn and cape from the dead Knight, and head back to the Myrmidon.
In a moment of brilliant insight, Arvos has handled the giant. Knowing that it needs a large and fresh supply of air as sustenance, Arvos has created a giant wall of wind around it, effectively starving it of oxygen. Between that and Ghrigaz’s physical attacks, the threat is neutralized. But given time and oxygen, it will return. Again in an inspired moment, Arvos wildshapes and buries the armor in the ground – separated enough, and devoid of oxygen. Brilliant. Now, we just have to never ever forget the exact location…
With the immediate and large threats now neutralized, we go to liberate the remaining prisoners of Kled. Kary quickly takes out a zealot/guard, to much rejoicing of the prisoners. They tell us that Arisi has been taking the townsfolk away to be worked to death underneath the Feathergale Spire.
We also find a Knight, but she’s not a zealot. Arvos had a run-in with her before he went to deal with the myrmidon. I offer her a place with us. She will need to prove herself, but this is the only way for her to truly atone for the wrongs she’s done in Arisi’s name. Her name is Navi, and she accepts my offer.
We get our ship to Kled, and Navi gives us some more info: while she’s never seen Arisi, and few have, she has seen Arisi’s mouthpieces return after meeting with her. They always looks dismayed/fearful. She never seems to leave the Spire. Well, under the Spire, really. There’s an old pyramidal Dwarven fortress there, where she stays and oversees the workers.
Session Date: 06/22/16, Session XP: 1,500, Total XP: 37,502.
Title Source: Karl Sanders – Beckon the Sick Winds of Pestilence