The Egg
Azhanti has one final task, to recover the stolen dragon egg for Vulcan. It is currently placed outside of existence, bathed in the power of true chaos and can only be reached by a portal anchored here in the caves.
The trip is brief but disorientating and he arrives collapsed and retching on an ancient stone slab covered in runic script. At the centre lies a circle of blasphemous sorcery with fragments of the egg which gave birth to the dragon scattered about it. The air around him is filled with madness, fire boils, rocks flow like liquid gold and the sounds of ten shouted screaming voices fill the air. Far beneath the realm turns darker and great cthonic beasts emerge briefly from the depths only to sink again beyond sight.
Rising to his feet Azhanti looks upon the very beginnings of all reality. He stares chaos full in the face and is not afraid. "I am Azhanti and you will know me" In his mind he stands at the end of time and prepares to shape the next cycle in his own image. He will be a god, he knows this.
He gathers the fragments of the egg and steps back through the portal. It has not yet occured to him what effect the exposure to chaos will have on the clutch brothers who must ultimately be reborn from this egg. It may never do so, absorbed as he is in dreams of his future ascendency.
*cut scene*
As Azhanti steps through the portal and it closes for the last time three figures flutter down from the boiling sky above. They are cloaked in burning winds and crowned with iron spikes. "Vedris has failed us, as Reptos failed us" says the first, a voice like metal nails on chalk. "She is not the only option" says the second, its voice a whisper on the wind. "The Azhanti creature might suit our plans better, Vedris was always a danger to us" says the third, its voice a forest fire raging out of control.
"We are agreed then, so be it. We will make him a God for all the good it will do him"
Sunday, 15 March 2009
Session 14: Into the Depths Part 4
Caves, why is it always caves
The caves beneath the temple of Mael are dangerous, haunted by strange monsters, laden with the traps and tools of Vedris the lich and prone to flooding. The group however are by now experienced delvers into places they are not welcome and make good initial progress.
Artemis leads them through dangerous caverns filled with fungi and Chiniko disables the wardings around the enteance to Vedris' lair. Things get tougher when the group are nearly swept away in a tidal flood despite Morns normally prodigious strength and Assambers efforts to obscure their approach set off a lurking Ward which send choking smoke which dissolves skin and boils blood flowing through the caves. Artemis takes the lead and tries to lead the group around the remaining wards but he looses too much time. Vedris has completed her ritual and is waiting for the group as they burst into her chambers.
Finally we get to kill some undead
The cave is dark and dank, patches of stinking phospherescent moss cover the floor and sucking mud and mucuous pull at their boots. Vedris makes herself known, slithering out of the darkness. She is a great bloated serpent, flesh rotting and ribs exposed. She demands to know what they want and who they are.
Assamber demands the Heart of Mael and she gives it to him. This is a surprising development, the group expected to have to fight for their prize but it seems she is finished with it. As they trade insults another creature emerges from the darkness, a great slime covered dragon evidently in the late stages of pregnancy. Vedris croons to the creature, introducing it as her daughter and mother to her new race, a race which will take revenge on the Arkhosian Emperor.
Azhanti is horrified. To the Dragonborn there are only five true dragons, the Gods of his people and progenitors of the five tribes. All other dragons are fragments of those five mighty creatures dreams. He can sense such creatures, to him they are indistinct, unreal. This creature is not, this is a true dragon in the flesh, an abomination.
He flies to the attack. Chaos breaks out. Azhanti strikes with the powers of flame and Chiniko casts his curses but they slide off the iron will of the ancient lich. The dragon spews acidic slime everywhere and then Vedris strikes. Teleporting into the middle of the grooup dozen of mouths erupt all over her body spewing beams of sickening light throughout the room. She has opened a doorway into chaos and it burns the living. The group is decimated, many of them are near death and zombie Dragonborn are loose everywhere.
Azhanti acts and the room is blasted with Vulcans burning embrace, holy lightning contends with the chaos and death wielded by Vedris. Assamber leaps about the battle trying to avoid the zombies while Morn spends much of his time chasing Vedris or the Dragon. Only the iron willed concentration of Azhanti backed by the strange dream magics of Chiniko keep everyone standing.
The undead are down or neutralised, Morn is pounding Vedris and several devastating blows have dealt her a savage beating. Moving in for the kill Morn prepares to end things but, as is so often the case, Artemis beats him to the kill. Vedris is down, not dead but out of the fight.
Seeing its mother defeated the dragon rears up and descends on Artemis shredding him and leaving him a bloody mess. Things look bad for him but the group manage to rally. The dragon is driven back from his body and Azhanti once again calls a companion back from the brink.
Outnumbered, bloodied and trapped the dragon is subdued. Before anything can happen Azhanti executes it, hacks it into pieces and dismembers the mutant dragonborn young it was carrying.
The Denoument
Vedris is defeated and tells the group her tale. She was one of seven daughters of Mael. They had dominion over the Oceans in the First Age but were cast out by their father. The seven came together to plot their revenge. The rise of the Warlord Reptos was their opportunity. The Primoridals were running scared, the Lokarnos were ripe for rebellion. They overthrew the Priests of Mael and twisted their religion, invention Ul-oo-thee as their new God. Each of the sisters took command of one of the City Ships. With Mael wounded and distracted by his war with Reptos they struck, chaining him to the ocean floor with bands of black ice and drawing his immortal blood to power their sorcery. As the Empire of Reptos fell they used that power to fuel the Sundering, the ritual which denied the Oceans to any but them.
Two years ago that all changed. Alias Windstorm, a young priest of Ul-oo-thee came to serve in the Temple on the Maelstrom. Unknown to Vedris he was an apostate and an agent of the Order of Transcendental Inquiry. The Order was working for the Arkhosian Emperor who wanted to end the Sundering so that he could pursue his dreams of world conquest. The Order found the source of the ritual at the heart of the City Ships and Windstorm let in a group of Arkhosian Assassins. Vedris was nearly killed and would have died as her ship sank in pieces to the depths but she delved deeper into the spellstorm, the foundations of sorcery, than she had ever dared. There she stared chaos full in the face and it stared back. She was forever changed by her experience, transformed into the Lich.
She vowed to gain her revenge on the Arkhosians but she knew her sisters would not accept her new state. In secret she stole a dragons egg and, with the power of the Heart of the Lord of Change she worked her sorcery on it. She gave birth to the first true dragon in 10,000 years and it in turn would bear a new race of Dragonborn loyal to her. They would be the instrument of her revenge on the Emperor.
Those dreams are dashed now but the group have some sympathy for her plight, possibly motivated by the fact that the Emperor is their enemy also. They come to an arrangement, they will not destroy her, she will not seek revenge on them and in turn they may call on her aid in some future plan. It seems foolproof.
The caves beneath the temple of Mael are dangerous, haunted by strange monsters, laden with the traps and tools of Vedris the lich and prone to flooding. The group however are by now experienced delvers into places they are not welcome and make good initial progress.
Artemis leads them through dangerous caverns filled with fungi and Chiniko disables the wardings around the enteance to Vedris' lair. Things get tougher when the group are nearly swept away in a tidal flood despite Morns normally prodigious strength and Assambers efforts to obscure their approach set off a lurking Ward which send choking smoke which dissolves skin and boils blood flowing through the caves. Artemis takes the lead and tries to lead the group around the remaining wards but he looses too much time. Vedris has completed her ritual and is waiting for the group as they burst into her chambers.
Finally we get to kill some undead
The cave is dark and dank, patches of stinking phospherescent moss cover the floor and sucking mud and mucuous pull at their boots. Vedris makes herself known, slithering out of the darkness. She is a great bloated serpent, flesh rotting and ribs exposed. She demands to know what they want and who they are.
Assamber demands the Heart of Mael and she gives it to him. This is a surprising development, the group expected to have to fight for their prize but it seems she is finished with it. As they trade insults another creature emerges from the darkness, a great slime covered dragon evidently in the late stages of pregnancy. Vedris croons to the creature, introducing it as her daughter and mother to her new race, a race which will take revenge on the Arkhosian Emperor.
Azhanti is horrified. To the Dragonborn there are only five true dragons, the Gods of his people and progenitors of the five tribes. All other dragons are fragments of those five mighty creatures dreams. He can sense such creatures, to him they are indistinct, unreal. This creature is not, this is a true dragon in the flesh, an abomination.
He flies to the attack. Chaos breaks out. Azhanti strikes with the powers of flame and Chiniko casts his curses but they slide off the iron will of the ancient lich. The dragon spews acidic slime everywhere and then Vedris strikes. Teleporting into the middle of the grooup dozen of mouths erupt all over her body spewing beams of sickening light throughout the room. She has opened a doorway into chaos and it burns the living. The group is decimated, many of them are near death and zombie Dragonborn are loose everywhere.
Azhanti acts and the room is blasted with Vulcans burning embrace, holy lightning contends with the chaos and death wielded by Vedris. Assamber leaps about the battle trying to avoid the zombies while Morn spends much of his time chasing Vedris or the Dragon. Only the iron willed concentration of Azhanti backed by the strange dream magics of Chiniko keep everyone standing.
The undead are down or neutralised, Morn is pounding Vedris and several devastating blows have dealt her a savage beating. Moving in for the kill Morn prepares to end things but, as is so often the case, Artemis beats him to the kill. Vedris is down, not dead but out of the fight.
Seeing its mother defeated the dragon rears up and descends on Artemis shredding him and leaving him a bloody mess. Things look bad for him but the group manage to rally. The dragon is driven back from his body and Azhanti once again calls a companion back from the brink.
Outnumbered, bloodied and trapped the dragon is subdued. Before anything can happen Azhanti executes it, hacks it into pieces and dismembers the mutant dragonborn young it was carrying.
The Denoument
Vedris is defeated and tells the group her tale. She was one of seven daughters of Mael. They had dominion over the Oceans in the First Age but were cast out by their father. The seven came together to plot their revenge. The rise of the Warlord Reptos was their opportunity. The Primoridals were running scared, the Lokarnos were ripe for rebellion. They overthrew the Priests of Mael and twisted their religion, invention Ul-oo-thee as their new God. Each of the sisters took command of one of the City Ships. With Mael wounded and distracted by his war with Reptos they struck, chaining him to the ocean floor with bands of black ice and drawing his immortal blood to power their sorcery. As the Empire of Reptos fell they used that power to fuel the Sundering, the ritual which denied the Oceans to any but them.
Two years ago that all changed. Alias Windstorm, a young priest of Ul-oo-thee came to serve in the Temple on the Maelstrom. Unknown to Vedris he was an apostate and an agent of the Order of Transcendental Inquiry. The Order was working for the Arkhosian Emperor who wanted to end the Sundering so that he could pursue his dreams of world conquest. The Order found the source of the ritual at the heart of the City Ships and Windstorm let in a group of Arkhosian Assassins. Vedris was nearly killed and would have died as her ship sank in pieces to the depths but she delved deeper into the spellstorm, the foundations of sorcery, than she had ever dared. There she stared chaos full in the face and it stared back. She was forever changed by her experience, transformed into the Lich.
She vowed to gain her revenge on the Arkhosians but she knew her sisters would not accept her new state. In secret she stole a dragons egg and, with the power of the Heart of the Lord of Change she worked her sorcery on it. She gave birth to the first true dragon in 10,000 years and it in turn would bear a new race of Dragonborn loyal to her. They would be the instrument of her revenge on the Emperor.
Those dreams are dashed now but the group have some sympathy for her plight, possibly motivated by the fact that the Emperor is their enemy also. They come to an arrangement, they will not destroy her, she will not seek revenge on them and in turn they may call on her aid in some future plan. It seems foolproof.
Session 14: Into the Deep Part 3
The Descent
Having secured the aid of Illiandra, Pirestess of Ul-oo-thee the group prepare for their descent into the ocean. An ancient stone block infused with Maels power provides the means for the ship to pass safely through the ocean and Assamber imbues the group with the ability to breathe and act underwater.
The ship descends into the inky blackness of the depths, far below the reach of sunlight. Strange shapes flicker past, giant fish and squid but they remain unharmed. The Temple of Mael lies near the bottom of a great trench, a spire of crystal and coral surrounded by the decaying remains of a cyclopian city. A great civilisation once thrived here but now it is gone, only the fishes and the Mael cultists remain.
Their arrival is noted and shark riding sauhghin shadow their approach. It also seems they are expected as they are greeted by Gnomen, High Priest of Mael is waiting for them. A stranger creature they have rarely seen, skin covered in fish scales, a beard of kelp and fins and gills decorate his body. He is attended by slimy Kuo Toan priests and welcomes Assamber as a brother priest. News of his apostacy it seems has not travelled this far.
The group are feted by the priests, provided with fine quarters and shown the beautiful undersea gardens. They begin putting out feelers for where the Heart of Mael might be found and locate it within the Inner Sanctum, a place they are forbidden from entering.
The Plan
The Sanctum is guarded, physically and magically. Giant crab warriors stand guard outside and the power of Mael dwells within. The group dont want to have to fight their way in and then out again. They don't trust Gnomen but need to get the Heart. He isn't likely to just let them in and take it.
They come up with a cunning plan. Artemis will use the Hat of Disguise to mimic the corpse of Agran Treshk, a child of Mael the group slew back in the City of Kings. Assamber will ask for permission to inter him in the Inner Sanctum. Gnomen tries to refuse, he is evasive and shifty but ultimately cannot deny them. Treshk was a true blooded child of his God and his due all the proper funery rites. The group decide that once the coffin is intered Artemis will be able to sneak out and steal the gem.
The procession enters the inner temple and the doors clang shut. As Gnomen begins the ritual one thing becomes clear, the Heart of Mael, which should be set in the head of his statue is missing. Assamber protests, Gnomen insists it has been removed to a safe place while they are at war with the Lokarnos. Assamber presses, demanding to know where the Heart is. Gnomen rebuffs him. The two come to blows and all hell breaks loose.
The guards and priests charge to attack but are quickly cut down. Gnomen is pressed by Assambers sorcery while he tries to dessicate him. The rest of the group is about to intervene when another foe enters the fray. A cloaked figure claiming to be the Prophet of Mael demands they stop and mind blasts half the group. As battle rages the creature advances on Morn, its veil dropping to reveal a Mind Flayer, it latches onto his head with its tentacles and begins to try and chew through his thick skull. Everything goes black for Morn and he will play little part in the rest of the battle.
Things are looking bad but they are about to get worse. An enormous shadow passes across the crystal window of the inner fane which implodes, a mass of tentacles rake the room grabbing anything they can find and dragging them towards the waiting maw of the Kraken.
Finally Assambers sorcery overcomes Gnomen and the mind flayer Zadrus tries to flee. Assamber pursues him with his implacable hand of ice grabbing him and halting his escape. As the group scatter for the exit Assamber feeds the Flayer into the mouth of the Kraken.
Freed of the flayers influence Gnomen admits that he gave the Heart to the Lich Vedris, a daughter of Mael, one time Priestess of Ul-oo-thee and ruler of the City Ship Maelstrom which was destroyed in a storm over two years ago. She lives now in sunken caverns beneath the Temple.
The group must penetrate her defences and find Vedris before she completes whatever she is doing with the Heart.
Having secured the aid of Illiandra, Pirestess of Ul-oo-thee the group prepare for their descent into the ocean. An ancient stone block infused with Maels power provides the means for the ship to pass safely through the ocean and Assamber imbues the group with the ability to breathe and act underwater.
The ship descends into the inky blackness of the depths, far below the reach of sunlight. Strange shapes flicker past, giant fish and squid but they remain unharmed. The Temple of Mael lies near the bottom of a great trench, a spire of crystal and coral surrounded by the decaying remains of a cyclopian city. A great civilisation once thrived here but now it is gone, only the fishes and the Mael cultists remain.
Their arrival is noted and shark riding sauhghin shadow their approach. It also seems they are expected as they are greeted by Gnomen, High Priest of Mael is waiting for them. A stranger creature they have rarely seen, skin covered in fish scales, a beard of kelp and fins and gills decorate his body. He is attended by slimy Kuo Toan priests and welcomes Assamber as a brother priest. News of his apostacy it seems has not travelled this far.
The group are feted by the priests, provided with fine quarters and shown the beautiful undersea gardens. They begin putting out feelers for where the Heart of Mael might be found and locate it within the Inner Sanctum, a place they are forbidden from entering.
The Plan
The Sanctum is guarded, physically and magically. Giant crab warriors stand guard outside and the power of Mael dwells within. The group dont want to have to fight their way in and then out again. They don't trust Gnomen but need to get the Heart. He isn't likely to just let them in and take it.
They come up with a cunning plan. Artemis will use the Hat of Disguise to mimic the corpse of Agran Treshk, a child of Mael the group slew back in the City of Kings. Assamber will ask for permission to inter him in the Inner Sanctum. Gnomen tries to refuse, he is evasive and shifty but ultimately cannot deny them. Treshk was a true blooded child of his God and his due all the proper funery rites. The group decide that once the coffin is intered Artemis will be able to sneak out and steal the gem.
The procession enters the inner temple and the doors clang shut. As Gnomen begins the ritual one thing becomes clear, the Heart of Mael, which should be set in the head of his statue is missing. Assamber protests, Gnomen insists it has been removed to a safe place while they are at war with the Lokarnos. Assamber presses, demanding to know where the Heart is. Gnomen rebuffs him. The two come to blows and all hell breaks loose.
The guards and priests charge to attack but are quickly cut down. Gnomen is pressed by Assambers sorcery while he tries to dessicate him. The rest of the group is about to intervene when another foe enters the fray. A cloaked figure claiming to be the Prophet of Mael demands they stop and mind blasts half the group. As battle rages the creature advances on Morn, its veil dropping to reveal a Mind Flayer, it latches onto his head with its tentacles and begins to try and chew through his thick skull. Everything goes black for Morn and he will play little part in the rest of the battle.
Things are looking bad but they are about to get worse. An enormous shadow passes across the crystal window of the inner fane which implodes, a mass of tentacles rake the room grabbing anything they can find and dragging them towards the waiting maw of the Kraken.
Finally Assambers sorcery overcomes Gnomen and the mind flayer Zadrus tries to flee. Assamber pursues him with his implacable hand of ice grabbing him and halting his escape. As the group scatter for the exit Assamber feeds the Flayer into the mouth of the Kraken.
Freed of the flayers influence Gnomen admits that he gave the Heart to the Lich Vedris, a daughter of Mael, one time Priestess of Ul-oo-thee and ruler of the City Ship Maelstrom which was destroyed in a storm over two years ago. She lives now in sunken caverns beneath the Temple.
The group must penetrate her defences and find Vedris before she completes whatever she is doing with the Heart.
Sunday, 1 March 2009
Session 13: Into the Deep Part 2
The Flight
With appropriately dramatic timing the volcano begins to rumble. The Urn is quickly identified by Assamber as a Second Age artifcat, perhaps the original vessel used by Maran Gor to raise the continents and create life. They decide to take it with them.
The Hammer quickly shatters its bindings and between them Morn and Azhanti begin to man handle it out. Unfortunately Artemis leads them into a dead end and then Assamber, using his frost magic to ease their passage, manages to mis place his spell sending Morn tumbling. He tries to hold on to the Urn but it gets away from him and rolls back down the passage to be swallowed by the rising magma.
As volcanic rock and gasses spew forth the group just escapes from the erupting volcano on their flying ship as below them cultists explode into flames.
The Return
The group return to the City to rest up and recuperate. They have an appointment back at the Temple of Ul-oo-thee and are quickly led into the Inner Sanctum, a place foerigners and non believers have never been allowed before.
There they meet Iridalla, High Priestess of Ul-oo-thee, an alien creature living in a crystal tube filled with evil smelling viscious liquid with strange tubes. Azhanti recognises her name as that of one of the first seven daughters of Mael who once ruled the seven oceans.
She is intrigued by their presence and keen to conclude an alliance with them. The group is coy about what they want, simply saying they are enemies of the Temple of Mael. Iridalla explains that she is here looking for her sister Vedris, mistress of the Lokarnos Ship Maelstrom which sunk some time ago. Vedris was thought dead but she has recently learned that she survived by drawing deeply on the spellstorm. This has changed her and she has become infused with Chaos, in effect becoming a Lich. Now she schemes somewhere beneath the Temple of Mael.
If the group will find Vedris and learn how the Maelstrom was destroyed then she will help them get to the Temple, providing them with protection from the Kraken. Assamber agress although whether the agreement will be honoured by the rest of the group is unclear.
The Monster Hunter
On returning to their lodgings Artemis receives a message from a Captain Strom. He wants to meet him. Taking him up on it he heads over there with Morn. The captain is a grizzled veteran of many battles, a hunter of sea monsters and worshipper of Mael. He is here to hunt the Kraken and offers Artemis a chance to be involved.
Mortal weapons can't kill the Kraken, only living fire thrust against its heart can do that. He is seeking a capable crew to keep the beast busy so he can get swallowed by it. By bathing in its immortal blood he hopes to open the pathway for immortality himself.
The hunt wont begin for a few days and so the group decide to head to the Temple of Mael first.
*cut scene*
The Urn of Pharamee crashes down the corridor and is swallowed by molten rock. It slowly sinks into the crater but as it does so the rock moves and a figure forms out of it. The goddess Vinga claims her mothers Urn. "I will have my revenge on the Faithless, let those who desire revenge on them be reborn. I name you, M'Kemba, Martek, Paldemar, Najentus and Ixion, you will be the agents of my vengeance."
With appropriately dramatic timing the volcano begins to rumble. The Urn is quickly identified by Assamber as a Second Age artifcat, perhaps the original vessel used by Maran Gor to raise the continents and create life. They decide to take it with them.
The Hammer quickly shatters its bindings and between them Morn and Azhanti begin to man handle it out. Unfortunately Artemis leads them into a dead end and then Assamber, using his frost magic to ease their passage, manages to mis place his spell sending Morn tumbling. He tries to hold on to the Urn but it gets away from him and rolls back down the passage to be swallowed by the rising magma.
As volcanic rock and gasses spew forth the group just escapes from the erupting volcano on their flying ship as below them cultists explode into flames.
The Return
The group return to the City to rest up and recuperate. They have an appointment back at the Temple of Ul-oo-thee and are quickly led into the Inner Sanctum, a place foerigners and non believers have never been allowed before.
There they meet Iridalla, High Priestess of Ul-oo-thee, an alien creature living in a crystal tube filled with evil smelling viscious liquid with strange tubes. Azhanti recognises her name as that of one of the first seven daughters of Mael who once ruled the seven oceans.
She is intrigued by their presence and keen to conclude an alliance with them. The group is coy about what they want, simply saying they are enemies of the Temple of Mael. Iridalla explains that she is here looking for her sister Vedris, mistress of the Lokarnos Ship Maelstrom which sunk some time ago. Vedris was thought dead but she has recently learned that she survived by drawing deeply on the spellstorm. This has changed her and she has become infused with Chaos, in effect becoming a Lich. Now she schemes somewhere beneath the Temple of Mael.
If the group will find Vedris and learn how the Maelstrom was destroyed then she will help them get to the Temple, providing them with protection from the Kraken. Assamber agress although whether the agreement will be honoured by the rest of the group is unclear.
The Monster Hunter
On returning to their lodgings Artemis receives a message from a Captain Strom. He wants to meet him. Taking him up on it he heads over there with Morn. The captain is a grizzled veteran of many battles, a hunter of sea monsters and worshipper of Mael. He is here to hunt the Kraken and offers Artemis a chance to be involved.
Mortal weapons can't kill the Kraken, only living fire thrust against its heart can do that. He is seeking a capable crew to keep the beast busy so he can get swallowed by it. By bathing in its immortal blood he hopes to open the pathway for immortality himself.
The hunt wont begin for a few days and so the group decide to head to the Temple of Mael first.
*cut scene*
The Urn of Pharamee crashes down the corridor and is swallowed by molten rock. It slowly sinks into the crater but as it does so the rock moves and a figure forms out of it. The goddess Vinga claims her mothers Urn. "I will have my revenge on the Faithless, let those who desire revenge on them be reborn. I name you, M'Kemba, Martek, Paldemar, Najentus and Ixion, you will be the agents of my vengeance."
Session 13: Into the Deep Part 1
We played again tonight, our first substantive session in nearly two months and it showed. Some of the players were very rusty and the group were nearly out for the count.
The Setting
The situation is this. The group are hunting for a series of keys to access a magical prison so they can go and shiv/save/worship an insane Primordial of dreams and nightmares. The first of them is hidden in an underwater temple of Mael, Primordial of the Oceans, father of all Monsters. His temple is currently at war with a city sized ship of the Lokarnos, a seafaring people who worhsip Ul-oo-thee, God of Stasis, Stability and Stagnation.
The area both are in is trapped by a ring of rapidly rising volcanic islands. Both blame each other for this. If something isn't done about it then both Temple and City will be destroyed. It is actually being caused by the Cult of Vinga, Goddess of revenge and child of Mael and Vulcan (technically God of one of the PC's, Azhanti).
The Lokarnos have also summoned a Kraken to battle the Temple but then managed to lose control of it. It is now attacking everyone and everything after eating a chunk of a dead chaos God.
First Impressions
The group decide to enter the City openly in their flying ship. Oddly enough this causes a mix of panic and amazement. The group are rapidly contacted by red cloaked guards of Ul-oo-thee and escorted into the presence of Jin'do, Chief Priest of the Outer Fane. Attempts at diplomacy meet with little success but he does seem interested in them. He dismisses them for the day in order to consult with his superiors.
As they are heading out one of the Guards quietly asks to meet them. He is a new recruit, many of the guards having been killed in the fighting with the Kraken or the Temple of Mael. He wants out of the City and gets free passage out of there in exchange for bringing the group up to speed on whats happening in the area. He also introduces them to a hidden Priestess of Maran Gor, the Earth Mother.
She recognises Morn as he bears a weapon made by her God. She happily tells them where they can find the Cult of Vinga after Azhanti argues that he wants to seek vengeance on them, the priestess concludes that Vinga would approve of such motives.
The Volcano
The Cult has based itself in the crater of an active Volcano. Morn is recognised and they are ushered in. The place is crawling with dirty ash streaked cultists and stone warriors. They are led to the heart of the complex, a magma chamber above which hangs an ancient clay urn. On a colum in the centre reached by four slim stone bridges stands a woman encased in stone, rooted to the spot. She is the source of the ritual raising the ocean bed. She introduces herself as Lidia, Champion of Maran Gor, Priestess of Vinga and true owner of the Hammer of Maran Gor. She demands that Morn hand it over.
He isnt having any of it and rather than spend the next few months watching over his shoulder for her to attack he acts. This is nearly disastrous as Lidia calls allies out of the molten rocks and roots both Morn and Azhanti in place. Chiniko walks Morn through the dream realm to bring him into range of Lidia but Azhanti spends the entire fight trapped by living stone. Fortunately he can still call on much of his healing powers and they are sorely needed.
Only a few exchanges into the fight and things are looking bad. A pair of hulking brutish magma giants have emerged along with two flickering fire birds. They quickly move into position. Most of the group are on fire and things get much worse when Lidia makes most of them even more vulnerable to the flames.
Azhanti is nearly unconcious and all but Morn have taken serious damage from the fire birds flaming passage. Things look dire and Morn is on the verge of throwing dowm the Hammer and surrendering when Chiniko makes his move. Drawing on the powers of dreams he gives heart to Azhanti who fills the rest of the group with lightning power.
Lidia, rooted to the floor by her ritual, is now trapped in a blade barrier and in Morns Rain of Steel. One of the magma giants is trapped in a huge icy hand and the other is being partly controlled by Chiniko driving it to madness and forcing it to attack its own mistress. Artemis is bringing down the pain with his bow and Azhanti manages to keep everyone alive.
Slowly, painfully, desperately, the tide turns and Lidia falls. With her go her minions.
The Setting
The situation is this. The group are hunting for a series of keys to access a magical prison so they can go and shiv/save/worship an insane Primordial of dreams and nightmares. The first of them is hidden in an underwater temple of Mael, Primordial of the Oceans, father of all Monsters. His temple is currently at war with a city sized ship of the Lokarnos, a seafaring people who worhsip Ul-oo-thee, God of Stasis, Stability and Stagnation.
The area both are in is trapped by a ring of rapidly rising volcanic islands. Both blame each other for this. If something isn't done about it then both Temple and City will be destroyed. It is actually being caused by the Cult of Vinga, Goddess of revenge and child of Mael and Vulcan (technically God of one of the PC's, Azhanti).
The Lokarnos have also summoned a Kraken to battle the Temple but then managed to lose control of it. It is now attacking everyone and everything after eating a chunk of a dead chaos God.
First Impressions
The group decide to enter the City openly in their flying ship. Oddly enough this causes a mix of panic and amazement. The group are rapidly contacted by red cloaked guards of Ul-oo-thee and escorted into the presence of Jin'do, Chief Priest of the Outer Fane. Attempts at diplomacy meet with little success but he does seem interested in them. He dismisses them for the day in order to consult with his superiors.
As they are heading out one of the Guards quietly asks to meet them. He is a new recruit, many of the guards having been killed in the fighting with the Kraken or the Temple of Mael. He wants out of the City and gets free passage out of there in exchange for bringing the group up to speed on whats happening in the area. He also introduces them to a hidden Priestess of Maran Gor, the Earth Mother.
She recognises Morn as he bears a weapon made by her God. She happily tells them where they can find the Cult of Vinga after Azhanti argues that he wants to seek vengeance on them, the priestess concludes that Vinga would approve of such motives.
The Volcano
The Cult has based itself in the crater of an active Volcano. Morn is recognised and they are ushered in. The place is crawling with dirty ash streaked cultists and stone warriors. They are led to the heart of the complex, a magma chamber above which hangs an ancient clay urn. On a colum in the centre reached by four slim stone bridges stands a woman encased in stone, rooted to the spot. She is the source of the ritual raising the ocean bed. She introduces herself as Lidia, Champion of Maran Gor, Priestess of Vinga and true owner of the Hammer of Maran Gor. She demands that Morn hand it over.
He isnt having any of it and rather than spend the next few months watching over his shoulder for her to attack he acts. This is nearly disastrous as Lidia calls allies out of the molten rocks and roots both Morn and Azhanti in place. Chiniko walks Morn through the dream realm to bring him into range of Lidia but Azhanti spends the entire fight trapped by living stone. Fortunately he can still call on much of his healing powers and they are sorely needed.
Only a few exchanges into the fight and things are looking bad. A pair of hulking brutish magma giants have emerged along with two flickering fire birds. They quickly move into position. Most of the group are on fire and things get much worse when Lidia makes most of them even more vulnerable to the flames.
Azhanti is nearly unconcious and all but Morn have taken serious damage from the fire birds flaming passage. Things look dire and Morn is on the verge of throwing dowm the Hammer and surrendering when Chiniko makes his move. Drawing on the powers of dreams he gives heart to Azhanti who fills the rest of the group with lightning power.
Lidia, rooted to the floor by her ritual, is now trapped in a blade barrier and in Morns Rain of Steel. One of the magma giants is trapped in a huge icy hand and the other is being partly controlled by Chiniko driving it to madness and forcing it to attack its own mistress. Artemis is bringing down the pain with his bow and Azhanti manages to keep everyone alive.
Slowly, painfully, desperately, the tide turns and Lidia falls. With her go her minions.
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