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chronicles:serpents_skull:chapter2

Racing to Ruin

Dramatis Personae

  • Tabansi - Half Elven Ranger
  • Athazog - Half Orc barbarian
  • Arkin - Halfling Rogue
  • Huecova Gyrle - Priestess of Calistria
  • Ek’tura - Bekyar Wizard

Heading off in search of the lost city of Saventh-Yhi.

Session 11 (2015-04-25)

Amivor invites us to meet in warehouse to plan expedition.

Attacked by a pack of rabid dogs. Arkin and Athazog get bitten. After dispatching them we see some smoke coming from the warehouse we are heading for. Running towards it, we see a group of thugs with alchemists fire .

We capture the thugs, who are Mwangi locals fighting against the 'slavers'. Their leader is Umagro, who is down by the docks where they claim they have our dwarf captive. They claim to be fighting against the slavers..

We get info that Hazri is being held captive at the whaling station. We invade the whaling station to try and affect a rescue. Hazri has her throat cut whilst we try to rescue her, bogged down in fighting the 'freemen'. Hazri falls off the top of the roof, but is still alive and unconscious. Huecova cures her.

The rest of us have to fight our way back out, rescuing Arkin on the way. Umagro follows us out, and after a nasty battle we tie him down. We grab him and head back to the warehouse.

MW breastplate +1 kukri MW kukri Amulet Natural armour +1

Some strange men came to the Freemen a few days ago. Told them that we were slavers. Probably Aspis corporation.

Amivor tells us that we need to go and find a priest of Gozra.

3 MW clubs 3 MW short bows 2 alchemists fire

Session 12 ( 2015-06-20)

Nkechi is the guide we have been told to find. known as the The Tempest. Lives in a cave in a cliff face some miles from here. We travel to get there through rocks and water at the bottom of the cliff where he lives and Tabansi and Huecova stumble on rocks. Getting to the cave requires some drowning. The hermit comes out to meet the party, he is a bit crotchety.

The party are asked to prove themselves by doing a test of water and test of air. The hermit asks the party to go get a black pearl from nearby pearl beds. The party (minus Ektora) head out to the village where the pearl beds are. The villagers trade the party some help (for Huecova’s shovel and empty backpack)! Athazog begins diving for pearls. When Tabansi helps as well a black pearl is quickly found.

However, just as Tabansi and Athazog turn to swim up they shake off an effect of some kind. A woman made out of seaweed has swum up and attacked Tabansi. She hits him causing a bit of damage. Tabansi pulls out the +1 kukri he’s carrying and attacks back. Athazog swims to help Tabansi. She manages to grapple both Tabansi and Athazog. Athazog breaks free then gets a couple of good hits on her causing damage. She swims away whilst grappling Tabansi. Tabansi struggles and breaks free. Athazog CHARGES!! her causing significant damage. The kelpie woman withdraws at speed. Tabansi and Atahzog swim up to the boat.

500XP to Athazog and Tabansi for the fight. 100XP to Arkin and Huecova for being in the boat. An additional 240XP for everyone for completing this task.

Task of Air to get a single complete feather from a storm bird called Chirok. We head off to find the bird, locating its nest atop a cliff. Tabansi climbs up into the nest and finds a feather. We escape without being noticed by Chirok. On the way back, we are met by a group of five tribesmen. They make threats to us, and demand that we surrender to them. We refuse, and a fight ensues. Two are dropped, and the rest are dropped into a pit created by Ek’tura. They agree to let us pass.

400XP each. Another 400XP given.

Nkechi is happy with the items, and invites us up into his cave. He paints on our faces, and gives us a root to chew on. Tabansi thinks that he has turned into a hippo. Arkin turns into a cheetah. Athazog turns into a crocodile. Huecova turns into a medium sized lizard. Ek’tura turns into a small hawk. Have some weird dream in which we float towards our destination as spirit animal creatures. A giant cobra appears, with similar markings on it to the snake woman Ishiri.

Arkin, Athazong and Huecova all attack the snake. Tabansi and Ek’tura do… little. Arkin does a lot of damage, Athazog does some damage and grapples the snake, Huecova does a little damage but moves into a flanking position to aid Arkin. Ek’tura hits once and the snake is killed, beheaded, and we return to the cave.

The death is similar to the death of Ydersius, the snake god.

We head to Kawasaki, ahead of the Pathfinder Society caravan. Nkechi says that there is a short cut through a salt mine which will save the caravan a couple of days. We will need to make sure that it is safe first though.

Heading into clearing find tracks for a large raptor , then one comes out along with a woman Athyra ,

Something dangerous in the mines which killed her parents. She asks us to find out what happened to her parents.

There is an abandoned Mining settlement here. It was wiped out 8 Years ago. In the logs there is talk of finding a strange globe in the mine. He found a weak wall which led to a different cave system.

Final entry reads 'they've come up from below, they are all dead, their touch withers flesh.

The party realise that Arkin is suffering from rabies - which Nkechi cures.

Going into the mine there is a wide passage which leads down to a large cavern with water and walkways

We head through the water and then is a disturbance in the water. Tabansi is attacked by some acidic tentacle like ooze thing. He goes down very quickly but is saved by a heal from Nkechi. He is then paralyzed though and starts to drown anyway. Huecova hits the creature with magic missiles and Arkin gets into combat with it. Ek’tura pulls Tabansi away and stops him from drowning. Huecova kills it. It was a crystal ooze. We head onwards.

From the water comes two skeletal creatures with glowing red eyes and dressed in rags. We kill them.

Moving on we come across more of the things on the ceiling banging away. they bring down pat of the ceiling but we defeat them,

Further on is a strange device of metal and wood with poles, ropes and a sieve. It is in the middle of the passage. The passage is about 40' wide at this point. A couple of skeletons leap out from behind the device. They are killed. Beyond the device is a dead end.

Down a side passage is a large cavern with an island in the middle on which is a blue glowing orb.

The party get 480XP each.

Session 13 (2015-06-27)

In a cave… 80' across with a walkway across to an island in the middle. Then is a glowing and cracked blue sphere about 20' across. There is a chest next to the globe.

Detect Magic determines that there is Necromantic aura to the globe.

Tabansi wanders around to the other side of the globe where there is a large crack in it. He feels some life being drained from him and there is a noise inside. He draws his sword and prepares for danger. Something undead pops its head out then quickly hides back.

There is a lot of over thinking what to do. whiIst Tabansi covers the opening, Huecova goes inside and is attacked by two undead. Athazog rushes in and starts laying into them. Huecova channels positive energy against the two undead. Atahzog lays into both creatures doing a lot of damage.

Arkin tumbles inside. Tabansi goes in as well just as Athazog slays the male one. There seems to be negative energy here which heals the undead and drains life from us. Athazog finally takes down the female one.

Tabansi drags the guy out of the globe. There is a silver locket he is wearing and has a key. The locket has a painting of a woman and baby.

There are 500gp in the chest, deeds to the mine which name Athrya as heir and a bone scroll case.

Nkechi heals us

We head further down into the Caverns. Opens into an area filled with large rock salt chunks. At the far end are a set of large iron double doors. They are barred on this side. They open up to the outside where Athrya is waiting for us. We give her the locket, but she is not interested in the money or deeds.

We rest and contemplate what we've learnt. Athrya volunteers to show the caravan the way through the mine, and may travel with them.

Athazog has picked up a disease called Green Haze. Nkechi cures him.

We set out across the plains for a couple of days. We meet some merchants coming back the other way. They have come from Kalabute for 10 days. They try to get us betting on a cock fight.

Following night come to a Zenj village. they look happy except for one old woman. She is the shaman. when we talk to her. There is a curse on the village and the spirits are not helping. There are two chemisits , a sort of bear / gorilla hybrid. It has been stealing children.

We agree to help lay a trap for it. Two of them turn up. Arkin almost gets killed by the one we didn't see, and runs back into the hut as Athazog fights the other one. Ek'tura hastes us, and Tabansi uses Gravity Bow on the rear one. One of them lets out a terrible scream that leaves some of us shaken.

Nkechi goes outside and casts storm burst.

One climbs onto the roof and rips Tabansi apart, taking him down. Athazog kills the other one. Nkechi channels healing to help Tabansi who manages to get down off the roof.

It pounces off the roof onto Huecova and knocks her down. Arkin steps in and attacks it, the Ek'Tura tries to drop it into a pit. It withdraws but is chased down and killed by Athazog .

The villagers are thankful and present us with a shrunken monkey head and a treasure map. The head can be used to dispel evil once, worth 4,500gp .

Map is of sunken ship in Lake of Vanishing Armies.

We press on across savanna. Huecova 'finds' a sinkhole that drops down into a tunnel whereupon she is attacked by some giant insect like thing. Arkin and Athazog leaps down and Arkin stabs it from behind and kills it. A second one Comes from the other tunnel, biting at Athazog .

A third one bursts out of the tunnel wall and attacks Huecova, whilst the 2nd grabs Arkin. It is eventually slain and the third one retreats.

It comes back though and attacks N'Kechi up on the surface. Tabansi and Athazog kill it. There are more rumblings from below. Another Ankheg bursts from the ground and attacks Ek’tura. Arkin charges in and kills it with a single blow.

Session 14 (2015-07-25)

Heading towards kalabuto across the savannah. It is the ancient capital of the Mwangi expanse. Giant Vultures Travelling onwards, we notice a large flock of vultures following us. When we camp for the evening, Athazog notice that a couple of them are actually further away than the rest, and therefore quite a bit bigger.

The larger ones start circling down towards us. We prepare for combat, but don’t anything to provoke them. They land on the ground in front of us. Tabansi tries to befriend them, but they attack. Ek’Tura blinds and stuns two of them with colour spray, Tabansi kills the blinded one with a shot through its neck. Athazog slays the one attacking his, and everyone piles into the third one and it dies. The Baobab Tree After a further two days we are within a day of Kalabuto. There is a leafless Baobab tree, surrounded by a circle of tiny bones. There are a dozen human bodies hanging from its branches.

Ek’Tura reckons it is the signs of the Mzali tribe, who are at war with Kalabuto. They do this to those they kill.

Some of the bodies start to move, and standup in an aggressive fashion. Tabansi realises that they are his new hated enemy. We start shooting and chopping them to knock them back down. They begin to swamp us, though they die relatively easily. N'Kechi channels positive energy and destroys most of them.

We kill the rest of them. Kalabuto We make it safely to Kalabuto. It sits on the river, there are docks here, and plenty of people. It is ruled by General Alban, a Savagan colonist. The place is run by the colonists.

We are looking for Cheiton in the Shrunken Head inn apparently. Meet Kihi, a young girl who sells charms. We book rooms and settle in.

The dwarf Cheiton comes in later. We have a brief chat. Later on in the day, we go to his private house for a chat away from prying ears.

The plan is to hire canoes down to the Lake of the Vanishing Armies, then up river into the Screaming Jungle. At that point we’ll need to leave the river and walk. Assassins in the Night We go back to the inn and get some sleep - at least until we are woken by the screams of N'Kechi. Tabansi wakes to an assassin trying to kill him - he is almost successful, and Tabansi is seriously injured and paralysed. The assassin then tries to finish Tabansi off, leaving him dying.

There is some fighting whilst Tabansi bleeds to death, until N'Kechi manages to channel a healing, bringing Tabansi back around. There are about four assassins in the inn, though the ones near Ek’Tura and Huecova are blinded and stunned from magic.

Tabansi finally manages to recover, also shaking off the effects of the poison, and grabs his bow, shooting the stunned would-be assassin now standing in the doorway. The one attacking Athazog and Arkin runs off badly injured, leaving Arkin paralysed with poison and his friend dead.

The remaining two surrender, and we take them prisoner just as there is an explosion downstairs. We question them:

They were hired to attack us, but only their boss (who was killed) knew who hired them. They were going to be paid when they got back.

3x Potions of Invisibility Magical wand - Glyph of Warding (5) 4x Spider vine poison 4x Thunderstone 4x +1 Studded leather 4x Masterwork punching daggers 4x Masterwork shortsword 4x Handcrossbows + 10 bolts 4x Thieves tools, silk rope, grappling hook

Investigating they appear to have been hired by the Aspis Corporation. After we’ve finished getting what information we can, we get rid of their bodies.

Session 15 (2015-08-22)

Have encounter with the local guard in the morning who want to know why we were attacked.

In the morning we sort out buying and selling stuff, then plan a trip onwards to the Lake of Vanished Armies. Cheiton is booking a boat for us. We sell the monkey head of dispel evil, which gives Tabansi a bad feeling.

Lake of Vanished Armies We head down the River of Lost Tears by boat to the Lake of Vanished Armies to seek the place marked on our treasure map.

Get off the boat at the end of the river on the shores of the lake where there is a small village where we can stay for the night. They tell us stories about the monster of the lake called Aomak, which is as big as a house.

The point marked on the treasure map is about two miles from the nearest shore in the lake. We rent a couple of boats to take us to the wreck.

When we get there, we can see the boat floating half submerged, probably anchored here. As we approach Arkin notices something big swim past in the water.

We all get up onto the wreck except for N'Kechi who stays on one of the canoes. Whilst Athazog swims down into the hold, a large beasts rises its head above the surface of the water. Tabansi shoots it with his bow, hitting it, but it decides to take a bite out of Huecova.

Huecova and Arkin retreat to the other side of the boat. Tabansi takes another shot and misses whilst Athazog climbs out of the hold onto the deck. The creature dives under the ship. Given time to think, Tabansi reckons that this creature is not fully grown.

Huecova casts bless on all of us as we wait for it to make another appearance. It’s head appears ago, which Tabansi shoots just before it takes a big bite out of N’Kechi, and Huecova drops some magic missiles into it. We shoot at it a bit more, and it bites at Athazog. Ek’Tura hastes all of us.

Tabansi misses it a couple of times, but Athazog steps in and starts chopping it to pieces with his ranseur. N’Kechi hits it with rain and wind. Tabansi fires another arrow that goes straight through its neck, taking it down, then Athazog leaps onto its body and finishes it.

Athazog tells us of the chest we found below, and opening we have: A bloody heavy iron military trunk:

1,000gp
3 potions
Adamantine machete (short sword)

The Screaming Jungle Head up western side of river. There seem to be a group of people on the trail behind us, on foot, about a mile behind. We come to a fork in the river, where Arkin reckons they are trying to hide from us.

We stop for lunch to see what they do. They seem to stop and hide. Ek’Tura sends his familiar down towards them and discovers there are dark skinned humans following us.

We make camp. 1st watch - Tabansi & Huecova 2nd watch - Ek’tura & Athazog 3rd watch - Arkin & N’Kechi

Tabansi is tapped on the shoulder by one of our followers, who asks me to follow him. Tabansi doesn’t and he wanders off ignoring Tabansi’s questions. Tabansi wakes up the others, and we come under arrow attack.

N’Kechi gets hit by several arrows and is critically injured. Tabansi yells for everyone to wake up.

Tabansi runs in the direction he saw the one go, finds him and shoots him. After trading shots, the attacker goes down. More arrows come in from various directions, hitting people. Athazog charges one and kills him. Arkin creeps up on, and guts, another.

Tabansi goes over to the first one he took down to see if he is still alive, but he’s dead. Athazog kills the last one.

Each is carrying: Masterwork Short bows (+2 strength) Studded leather

Hand axe
Quiver with arrows (4 magical human bane arrows, +1, extra +2 hit + 2d6 damage)

They are all Mwangi humans, of the Mzali tribe. One is still alive, questioning him they just seemed to be attacking us because of the white skins. Tabansi kills him because he seems to be no useful source of information.

We travel north up river for another 2.5 days, when we reached the Screaming Jungle.

In the river are some hippos, as well as some moving things on the far bank. We decide to keep a good distance from the hippos after Ek’Tura warns us they can be dangerous.

There is very heavy rain around noon every day, followed by a thick mist for a few hours.

We start to pick up day old tracks ahead of us, maybe four booted people on the path.. On day 5 in the jungle, in the afternoon, the flora changes. There are a number of plants that tend to flourish in the presence of death. There is a smell of death in the area. Signs of all sorts of tracks including leopards, monkeys and apes.

There are four bodies of humans laying on the path. Probably killed by a large ape. Ek’Tura casts a detect thoughts spell, and finds something off in the jungle - a human-like and animal-like intelligence. There is a sudden roar from the jungle, and Tabansi and others drop what they are holding and flee in terror. Only Huecova stands her ground, turning invisible as a dire ape appears out of the jungle and chases everyone else down the path.

The ape catches N’Kechi (who isn’t panicked but decided to run anyway), clawing at him as they run down the path. N’Kechi casts Sanctuary which stops the ape from attacking him.

Huecova picks up everyone’s weapons and heads down the path after them.

Eventually the fear wears off, and people start heading back up the path. Several of us meet up, when it suddenly goes pitch black.

Tabansi makes his way to the river, and lets it take him downstream out of the darkness. He meets up with Ek’Tura and N’Cheki. The ape comes out of the darkness and hits N’Cheki who flees back. Ek’Tura hits it with a Color Spray and Tabansi charges it. Eventually Athazog reaches us, and manages to kill it

As it dies, a shadowy, winged, horned form rises up out of the ape’s body. Tabansi tries to hit it, but it seems to be incorporeal. It’s body seems to disperse, and we are enveloped in darkness again.

Tabansi and Athazog head back to the river again. Tabansi dives in and lets it take him down stream. Noticing the others up on the bank, Athazog and Tabansi head back to land. Huecova and Arkin also float into view.

A giant crocodile appears, but it is an illusion. Whilst we are trying to get back the weapons we dropped from Huecova who had picked them up, we are hit by an illusory fireball. Unfortunately Arkin is convinced by it, and falls over.

The shadowy shape appears again, flying in the air above us. Huecova shouts out that it is a shadow demon. She cries out for everyone to head for the sunlight. Tabansi grabs the handy havasack which Huecova had dropped, and dives into the river. Everyone else runs for the river.

The shadow demon vanishes. Another (illusory) crocodile appears in the water. We float downriver with the crocodiles attacking us until the illusions expire.

A few miles down river we clamber out of the river and hope that it is safe.

Session 16 (2015-09-26)

What do we do now? We decide that we need to find a route around the Shadow Demon. We head back to a ford across the river and wait for the caravan to arrive. Scouting across the other side of the river, it looks like the paths there aren’t wide enough for the caravan.

When the caravan arrives, it is decided to move supplies onto the horses and leave the carts behind. We then try to find a way through the jungle, keeping a few hundred yards away from the river where the demon attacked us.

Eventually, well past the demon, we find another ford to cross back across the river. There is another eight days of travel across the river.

There are some unusul tracks - a set of bare humanoid foor prints plus a set of a clawed bipedal prints of larger side., somewhat reptilian. The clawed prints might be that of a troll.. They go back and forth, and eventually find where they head off into the jungle towards what looks like a clearing.

Tabansi sneaks into the clearing, there is an undead troll standing guard over a burial mound. A Mwangi human comes out of a freshly dug opening in it. He is covered in ash, and is putting on a war mask.

Tabansi heads back and informs the rest of the party. Whilst deciding what to do, we hear them heading towards us. Tabansi and Athazog stand out in the part to greet them. He starts casting a spell after we try to be friendly, so Tabansi tries to shoot him. He does, very successfully.

Huecova hits him with magic missiles, and he yells ‘Attack’, casts a spell, and flies back up the path. Athazog hits the troll hard, the troll claws back, then Tabansi hits him with an arrow and it goes down.

Tabansi chases him into the clearing, where he is flying in the middle of the clearing. He casts another spell - Spectral Hand - and Tabansi shoots him again. Then Tabansi runs in fear from the guy’s mask.

Ek’Tura casts blindness on him, and he tries to fly up whilst blinded. Ncheki and Huecova hit him with spiritual weapons and he goes unconscious, then is killed with more spiritual weapon attacks. Eventually the fly runs out and he falls back to the ground.

He has some scrolls and a Spear +1. He has a Warmask of Terror. +2 intimidate +1 deflection AC 1xday can cast scare, DC 16 His name was Jigeke. Spells: Animate Dead, Contagion, Eneveration, Fly, Ray of Exhaustion, Vampiric Touch, Blindness/Deafness, False Life, Hypnotic Pattern, Spectral Hand, Summon Swarm, Chill Touch, Mage Armour, Ray of Enfeeblement, Shield, True Strike

The barrow has been emptied.

We eventually leave the jungle and head out onto the plain, still following the river. We estimate there is another 225 miles to go.

Possible Spells for N’Kechi: 0: Light, Create Water, Purify Food and Drink, Resistance 1 (4+1): Entangle, Shield of Faith, Bless, Hide from Undead, Magic Weapon 2 (4+1): Barkskin, Spiritual Weapon, Lesser Restoration, Bull’s Strength 3 (2+1): Call Lightning, Magic Circle Against Evil, Prayer

One night N’Kechi and Arkin are on watch and there is the sound of delightful music. Arkin gets up and heads off towards it, into the bushes. N’Kechi casts circle of protection and shouts for everyone to wake up (then finds out it was just a single bell chime, not ongoing music).

Arkin comes running out of the bushes, covered in blood, and a couple of large gnomes come out. They are called Eloko. One runs back after being hit by Athazog. There seem to be three of these size changing gnomes. There is a short battle and they are taken down. 4 masterwork small halberds A little magic bell. Can be rung to cast a suggestion to draw someone close. It has 4 charges.

Travel for another 8 days following the river, then head inland as we go past the edge of the Bandu Hills. In the river are a group of women bathing. There are a couple of huts nearby.

Mazozi, Elara, Zakia, Ozomar. They seem friendly. They appear to be Spirit Dancers, a form of shaman. Zakia seems to be in charge. They invite us in for food and chat.

Athazog thinks that there’s something strange about them, so Ek’Tura wanders outside to cast Detect Thoughts, then comes back in to check them. Zakia seems to be interested in Tabansi, and invites him over to her own hut.

N’Kechi gets interested in talking to them about tattoos and totem magic. They can tattoo your spirit animal onto you, which allows you to get in touch with your spiritual totem.

Tabansi and Zakia wander out and talk about Tabansi’s past. The others stay inside, take drugs and get tattoos. Zakia ‘persuades’ Tabansi to go back to her hut with her.

There is shouting from the hut, and Zakia tries to go back to her friends. Tabansi now insists on going back to her hut. She gives him a kiss, and he suddenly feels weakened, but shakes the suggestion off. Then she charms him, and he heads off to the hut by himself anyway.

Athazog runs out of the first hut with his sword, and she vanishes. There is the sounds of fighting and shouts from the hut, so Tabansi heads back that way to find out what is going on.

Everyone has been drugged apart from Arkin and Athazog, and the other women are cowering in fear in the hut. Zakia walks out of her hut and sprouts some bat like wings. She then vanishes again.

Whilst we are trying to wake up the rest of the party, Ozomar comes in and tries to suggest to Athazog to go outside. That fails, and he intimidates her. Tabansi is able to tie her up.

Arkin hears a noise outside, and sees that she is standing outside. Athazog rings the magic bell, which somehow works, and she wanders into the hut where Athazog and Arkin are able to ambush her. She is hit really hard, she doesn’t die but she vanishes..

Ozomar says “You will regret that”, then seems to snap back to her own personality.

Whip x3 Masterwork dagger x3 Amulet of Natural Armour +1 x3 Bracers of Armour +1 x3 Spell components…. Blowguns with darts and poisons

The others eventually wake up. There is a scream from the other hut, and the other women are there are not feeling well.

After routing through their stuff, and burning down their huts, there is discussion about what to do with the women - whether to kill them, let them go, or take them with us.

It is decided to take them with us as we head back to the caravan. E’ktura argued for them to be taken with us, whilst Tabansi and Athazog wanted them killed.

Session 17 (2015-10-31)

We come to an agreement to take the women prisoners and take them back with us to the caravan. The plan is to guard the caravan through the region where the Succubus was.

We get back to the caravan, and make our way back through the region without being attacked, with the women held as prisoners. We then begin our usual scouting ahead. We come across the carcass of a large dinosaur being nibbled on by vultures.

We see a pack of lions that decide that we might make a good meal. There are six of them, and they manage to ambush us. They have us surrounded, and it is a vicious battle to keep them off us. One lion bites Huecova. Huecova Magic Missiles one of the other lions. We get them down to 2, when a non-avian raptor charges out of the long grass and pounces on one of the lionesses, ripping it to shreds. The other lioness turns and flees. Tabansi and Athazog try attacking the raptor. Huecova Magic Missiles the raptor.

Eventually we take the raptor down. This leaves us with lots of food.

That night we camp. Whilst Tabansi and Heucova are on guard duty, we are attacked by another lion. It manages to pounce on and grab Tabansi. It rips Tabansi apart, killing him.

The scroll of Raise Dead is used to bring Tabansi back, who is feeling pretty grotty.

A few days later we reach jungle again, and half a day later find a deserted looking city, probably Tazien - our immediate destination. It is overgrown, surrounded by a 5ft high crumbled down wall. Tabansi finds some booted footprints, fresh within the last few days. There are also prints of Charau-ka, the intelligent apes that are known to live in these jungles. Of the booted footprints, one looks like they are being dragged, as if they are injured or maybe a prisoner.

There is meant to be a portal, or clues, that lead to our final destination of Saventh-Yhi

Arkin and Tabansi scout ahead, following the booted set of tracks that head left around the wall. We find a hole in the wall that lead into the city, which has been protected by a net trap. Walking around the wall, we see a number of notable locations - a large building, a Ziggurat, and some tar pits. We decide to investigate the Ziggurat. The Ziggurat has steps that lead up into it, as well as a number of doors on the ground floor. The doors are stone, but because the whole building has sunk into the ground over the years, the doors are effectively jammed shut.

There are lots of tracks of the Charau-Ka here. Following the steps up into the Ziggurat, we head inside. We find steps down into a room with some floating, glowing statues. Arkin stops and starts staring at the coloured lights around the statues. Athazog also becomes entranced, and a voice tells us to lay down our weapons and surrender. Athazog does.

N’Cheki casts a magic circle, and goes down to pull Athazog out. We all retreat out of the room. We hear a buzzing noise, and head quickly through another set of doors. This leads us into an open courtyard, with a large stone pillar in the middle, and a set of stairs that go down to ground level and up to the middle level of the Ziggurat. Some Charau-ka footprints lead up the stairs.

We are then attacked by a plant. It gives off a blue haze, and Arkin, N’Cheki and Tabansi begin imagining weirdness. Tabansi thinks that he is very, very small, then being attacked by spiders. Others have similar issues, and Ek’tura is infected by spores. After the plant is destroyed, a scroll of cure disease is needed to heal Ek’tura.

There is a buzzing sound again, and a giant wasp appears. There is a nasty battle in which it is finally killed. We find a hidden door that leads down into the structure. In the room is a map of the Moon. Stairs lead further down into a water filled room. There are friezes of warriors battling serpent people under a dark sky.

Ek’Tura casts detect thoughts, and picks up images of a pillar with a gem in it, and the pillar turning. These are from the floating statues. There seems to be multiple pillars and they need to be arranged in a certain way.

Athazog explores in the flooded room, and suddenly yells in pain as his leg is swarmed by leeches, which drain blood. and constitution. He runs up out of the water, and we help pull the leeches off his leg.

Looking in the wasp nest, there isn’t anything of worth there. We try opening the door at the far end of the courtyard that had the plant. Beyond is a room full of crystals that represent the sky, There are some stairs down. And some snakes. Tabansi closes the door.

In another room, more pictures of soldiers fighting serpent headed people. More astronomical symbology. There is brownish yellowish mold which falls from the ceiling. We close that door as well.

We leave the Ziggurat and head back to where we should be meeting the caravan. About an hour later, we hear a lot of monkey-like hooting from the direction of the Ziggurat.

Next day we come back, and the wasp has been staked out on the ground and there are lots of tracks on the ground. We head upstairs to the second level. There is a door there, but we follow the stairs up another level.

Arkin sneaks up the stairs and listens carefully. He hears something moving around up stairs. He sneaks back down and informs the party. The party gears up for a fight.

We can hear Charau-Ka in the ruins at the top. Moving in, we see three of them plus a large four armed gorilla. They give howls and attack us, we attack back. Colour sprays, glitterdust and magic missiles help to bring them down.

480XP Big gorilla 480XP Little apes

Session 18 (2015-11-28)

The top floor is cleared, and there is a set of stairs going down, from which comes the sound of spell casting. Ek’Tura recognises the spell as being Protection from Arrows.

There is a Charau-ka at the bottom of the stairs which throws a bolt of lightning up at Athazog. There are seven blurry copies of him. As we close in on him, he scurries up the wall and onto the ceiling. He webs the area, trapping Tabansi and Athazog, though Athazog breaks free.

Arkin scouts around a bit to find a way in behind the Charau-ka sorcerer, and finds a room with a circular grid with deep groves and crystalline patterns. There are four pillars with strange carvings on them.

We stay on the roof and wait for the sorcerer to come up to us. He does, chucking a Flaming Sphere at Tabansi whilst remaining clinging to the wall outside. He tries to Dominate Huecova, and fails. The rest of us move closer to N’Kechi to keep within his Circle of Warding.

The Charau-ka pops up, and Tabansi takes down one of his mirror images.. Some more mirror images are taken down, then it flees as we notice a group of 10 baboons running through the jungle towards us. Tabansi shoots one at long range, but doesn’t kill it.

We shoot and lightning bolt the Charau-ka that is calling to the baboons. Huecova magic missiles the sorcerer, but bounces off his spell resistance. Arkin collapses in a bought of hideous laughter. Athazog tries to smash down the wall the sorcerer is clinging to the other side of, but fails.

A Baboon is taken down by Tabansi. The sorcerer appears at the top of the wall, and lightning bolts Tabansi and Ektura.

He turns tail and runs as we take down the last of his mirror images. The group of baboons is rapidly approaching, and we can see two other baboon groups. The sorcerer was heading towards a set of conical ruins at the centre of the city.

We head downstairs to a more defensible location in the courtyard. There is a bunch of baboons waiting for us. There is a brief fight in which the baboons are killed or driven off. The other two groups are lurking out in the jungle somewhere.

+600XP

We head off towards the ruins where the sorcerer fled to, trying to take on the nearest group of baboons first. We kill or drive them all off, including those of the other group. At the end of the fight, the few remaining ones suddenly stop and look dazed for a bit, before fleeing.

+1,200 XP

There is discussion in the group about what the sorcerer actually looked like. Some people think they saw something that wasn’t a Charau-ka - serpent headed humanoid.

We continue towards the ruins. There are three conical cylinders surrounding an overgrown courtyard with large watery pools. There are tracks for possibly four Charau-ka and a heavier creature.

Walking into the building, Tabansi triggers a trap and him and Athazog are hit by a large stone block falling from the ceiling. We move forward more carefully. Inside are partial walls, overgrown roots from trees, and large tar pools with some islands and crude bridges connecting them.

There are a number of Chauru-ka on the islands in the tar pool, and so battle is joined. Tabansi takes down or drives off a couple as we have a ranged combat against their stones. Tabansi downs the last couple, and we can hear some talking in a language we don’t understand from the back of the complex.

We start crossing the bridges over the tar pool. At the back is a cleared area with a pit of glowing coals in the middle. There are three figures in tar cocoons hanging above the pit, and the smell of burnt flesh. There are carvings of shedding servants and burnt corpses on the walls.

One of the people in the cocoons is Sasha. There are five Charau-ka in the room as well. Four of them are each wearing snake skin cloaks.

The charau-ka threaten to kill the tar cocooned people unless we surrender. We don’t, so they set fire to the three cocoons. There is a fierce fight in which Huecova summons water to try to put out the water. We kill the Charau-ka and put out the fires, rescuing Sasha and the other two.

+800XP

We heal up and cut the tar off the three.

Session 19 (2015-12-30)

We are hunting for a wizard. We equip Sasha with a weapon, and leave the other survivor tied up since he is of Aspis Corporation. We scout round to the other side of the building, discovering a large statue of an elephant in another room filled with overgrowing trees and tarpits. There is a bone statue of a beheaded serpent (Ysildrous) beyond the statue, and the wizard (Issilar) in serpent form and a Charau-ka (Raogru) stand at the back of the room. There is a giant snake as well, which isn’t the statue.

Arkin is grabbed by the snake which starts constricting him. Athazog rushes into hand to hand combat with the serpent sorcerer, and shrugs off most spell effects thrown at him by Charau-ka priest. A couple of Charau-ka come out of hiding and start chucking rocks at us.

The Charau-ka priest steps in and clobbers Arkin with a mace, and Arkin falls over. Tabansi gets three good arrow hits on the priest. Huecova moves in and heals Arkin.

Two more Charau-ka appear up at the ceiling. Arkin tries to get up, and is hit by both the serpent and Charau-ka both hit him, taking him down again. Issilar casts web, which traps Raogru as well as getting Athazog, Arkin and Huecova in their area. Huecova heals Arkin again.

Tabansi can no longer see the spellcasters so shoots the charau-ka that isn’t caught by webs.

Athazog hits the priest Charau-ka and it goes down. The serpent folk tries to dagger and bite Athazog, but is unable to get through his thick skin.

Tabansi tries to shoot at the charau-ka in the ceiling, but they have cover from the web they are stuck in. Ek’Tura runs off to find a burning torch. Tabansi takes down another charau-ka, then another. Huevoca starts burning through the web, and is attacked by the remaining charau-ka warrior. N’Cheki starts trying to make a torch out of a branch and the tar. Arkin manages to backstab Issilar, who goes down, dead. The last charau-ka is taken out by Athazog.

+1,840 XP

We clear the webs and look for treasure. Wand of Web, 18 charges +1 dagger +1 ring of protection spell book arcane Hold Person, LIghtning Bolt, Protection from Energy Cat’s Grace, Flaming Sphere, Hideous Laughter, Protection from Arrows, Scorching Ray, Spider Climb Burning Hands, Charm Person, Magic Missile, Shield Daze, Detect Magic, Mage Hand, Ray of Frost, Read Magic Spell components: 750gp diamond dust +1 heavy mace +1 snake hide armour Spell components: 500gp diamond dust Treasure chest (Stone coffer) 1,500gp relics Figurines of wondrous power (golden lions) Large moonstone (eye of snake), 500gp (divination magic) Three other gemstones (divination), 500gp ea.

We go back to the Zigguret to rest up overnight, and the following day we finish exploring the place. Behind a secret door we find Shatterspike, +1 longsword or +4 when sundering if you have the sundering feat, 3,415gp

In the middle layer, on the three pillars, there are symbols of four celestial ‘bodies’ - dark tapestry, sun, moon and stars.

There is some ancient text, which seems to be a list of places, including this place and Saventh Yi.

We head back to the rooms with painted walls, which we fled from previously. In one room are paintings of pilgrims, a flight of stairs going down, and 3 metal cobras. They attack us. Athazog immediately kills two. He then kills the third. Ek’Tura recognises them as mithral cobras.

+350XP, worth 7,500gp total for the remains.

Paintings in here: Pilgrims making long journeys, dedicated to Desna. The stairs down are blocked.

Go to see the room with a map of the moon.

The pillar room has a map of the Mwangi Expanse, at quite fine detail, at a scale of 1” = 1 mile. It is probably how the expanse looked 10,000 years ago.

Put a stone into the columns. Light comes from the window, hitting the stones and lighting up a point on the grid. A hazy image shows an ancient city around a central lake with ziggurets. It is about 20 miles from here. We identify the place as Saventh Yi

+1,000XP

We take out the jewels again.

We head out into the city to see if we can find our caravan. We scare off charau-ka

We find a large well surrounded by pillars, with another group of charau-ka. We start shooting the charau-ka, and Sasha and Arkin charge in. At that point tentacles come out of the well and start grabbing at them and the nearby Charau-ka.

The Charau-ka are wiped out, and we finish the tentacle creature off with a mixture of call lightning, summoned crocodiles and magic missiles. We send Arkin down. At the bottom of the pit:. Masterwork breastplate +1 scythe 2 potions cure serious wounds climbers kit masterwork thieves tools 132gp of assorted coins There is a hole in the side of the well about 20ft down, which seems to be a passage heading northwest.

+680XP

Ek’Tura sends his rat familiar down the side passage. After a while, he gets a feeling that his familiar has been killed.

We find the caravan. They were apparently attacked by a succubus, and the three women were taken. They are otherwise pretty much okay.

We head off into the jungle with the caravan in search of Savanth Yi.

chronicles/serpents_skull/chapter2.txt · Last modified: 2017/05/14 17:09 by sam