Due to the three-day weekend, we only had Frederick and Jax. But you run for who shows. And so we went...
The party awoke to see a band of desert elves riding to meet them. Bogumir, the party's guide, walked out to greet the curious elves, who approached riding on a combination of mules, bison, and terror birds. So that's where the curious tracks came from...
Best be polite.
Bogumir parlayed with the leader for some moments. The leader and a few lieutenants approached, while the rest stayed back, watchful. Findire, the leader, asked why the party was in the desert out of trading season. Frederick replied that they had lumber to trade, and were hoping to negotiate good prices away from the competition. Findire replied, fine, we'll trade you and you can go. A lieutenant inspected the two wagons, finding that the wood was an uncommon northern hardwood.
Ok, might as well negotiate for real. We need to cross your territory, to reach the desert where the ruby sands might be found. What's your need for the sand? Frederick, roundabout, explained that the ruby was needed to restore the Barrier communication network. Finally, he showed a fragment of ruby lens that the party carried. The elves inspected it, and asked how it involved them. Well, Chaos is on the move after a long time, and twisting nature. We would think that you might find that offensive. Findire and his second, Arielen, discussed. Ok, what to you really have to trade then?
The party threw out their bag of unclaimed magic items, mostly potions and scrolls. The elves poked through them, mostly unimpressed. (Oh, a spellbook, looks like something we give children for reading.) Hmm, what's this book? The elves looked at an unclaimed and unread tome that has been sitting on a shelf in the party's home base. Opening it, a smell of grass and petrichor emerged. Sudden, hushed discussion.
Wait here. We will return with our shaman.
So, the party sat, staring at the elves left to keep an eye on them. The elves stared at the party, keeping an eye on them.
The leaders returned, accompanied by the shaman, Aelerel. He confirmed the party's story of the Barrier. Looking around, he asked Jax about her sword, then politely asked to inspect it. Jax handed over Faith Perpetual. All were relieved to see that the sword didn't burn the shaman. He paused, as if in a trance. A moment later, he handed the sword back, and thanked Jax for allowing him to greet the sword. Aelerel recalled the name 'Keepers of the Light' although he had never met them before. Yes, they had passed through many human lifespans ago, perhaps seeking a similar resource.
Now about that book...
The party handed over the mysterious book. The shaman took it, reverently, and cracked it open. This is the Codex of Rejuvenated Lands. Where did you find it? The PCs (and DM) couldn't remember. It can provide rituals to cure blighted lands. A treasured relic text to be sure. After all, the elves had lived in these lands since trees had grown there. And yes, Aelerel knew the stories of the Cometfall, where Medeg, intent on sowing Chaos, had launched a comet at the lands. Her sister, Khador, then known as the Spring Goddess, had intercepted most of the disintegrating bolide, but part had fallen ease of the mountains, resulting in an area known as The Blight.
This book was sufficient to allow passage and protection across their lands. Oh, and we'll take one wagonload of hardwood. You can keep the other to help negotiate your way into the next territory.
The party was led to Imlavand, a settlement in the desert. They stayed for two days, reprovisioning and enjoying races and other contests.
Findire assigned a young warrior named Imiriel as a guide and guard. Riding her terror bird, she and a handful of patrol elves led the party southeast.
Travel was uneventful until the second night. Goober alerted the party as something moved in the darkness, before dashing off to confront it. There was a commotion, and a limp Goober was tossed back into the firelight. Followed by a small brass dragon.
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| yo. |
Sorry about your dog, oh don't worry, he's just asleep. The dragon's name was Kavderac, and he'd been tailing the party, curious. Imiriel had apparently encountered this dragon before, and feigned sleep in her bedroll. The young dragon poked around the campsite, asking questions, stepping in the fire, knocking over things and being generally annoying. He found the bag of magic items, and gave it a good sniff. Oh fun! Finally, his curiosity satisfied, he flapped off into the night. The party discovered they were missing a couple of potions and several gems.
A dragon-shaped shadow may have been spotted the following day.
Imiriel led the party onward to an oasis located in the ruins of a pre-desert city. She explained that a tunnel-aqueduct still fed water to the area, and they would refill there. Of course, as soon as they arrived, they found dead animals surrounding the water. Damnit.
Imiriel recalled that the water was sourced from a spring in a shrine some distance away. Perhaps it had become poisoned. Leaving the little caravan, Frederick, Jax, Imiriel, and a couple of guards headed to the shrine. Sure enough, a stone covering a shaft leading to the shrine was dislodged. A body was spotted at the base of the shaft, apparently shaking. Jax slid down a rope to investigate it. And was rewarded by a spray of blood when the head rolled off. Lovely. Followed by two fat demons, with oozing, decayed flesh trundling from a side passage to attack. She hacked them down, aided by Frederick and the elves.
Goober was roped down the hole, and the group followed. Marks around the body indicated summoning of a demon, one with a corrupting and poisoning nature. The acrid air in the shrine indicated as much. Frederick checked a side door, and finding the odors to be stronger there, declined to open it. Imiriel led them through the passages to the heart of the shrine. An underground stream was diverted in a side room, and was found to be clean, so the poisoning must occur in the room avoided by Frederick.
The elf knew of a relic with a spirit and found its alter. Sure enough the spirit was present, but apparently imprisoned and silent, bound to a black stone. It motioned warning signs, which the group promptly ignored, smashing the stone. And taking damage in return. But the stone was smashed, and the spirit freed. It collapsed into a small coffer. When opened, it revealed a skull. The skull clattered that it had been sorely weakened by the corruption demon and its ilk, but that it may still be able to clear the poisons from the water as a final act.
A skinny elf was sent into the water tunnel and dropped the skull into a pool holding another cursed stone. With a burst of spirit, the water and air began to clear.
Which of course woke up and pissed off the corruption demon, which charged from a side passage. One elf immediately fell, dropped by the fatal miasma emitted by the demon. Jax was having none of this and squared up, trading blows with the abyssal creature. Frederick and Imiriel supported at distance...
In spite of the demon summoning two more small oozing demons, the group was able to pare it down with damage, but no more fatalities. Some gold and gem adornment was recovered from its filthy body, plenty to offset that stolen by Kavderac.
The shrine's capstone was replaced, and an elf dispatched to warn of the shrine's defacement.
***
DM notes:
I suspected that we would have a short group this week, so had the side adventure, my "Bad Water at Bishira Shrine" in hand for playtesting. I did soften it a touch for two PCs (and a competent NPC), and we only lost a redshirt, so not too bad. I have made a few minor edits based on the play.
The brass dragon was a random encounter, rolled honestly on my session encounter table. I'd REAALLLY hoped he would appear. And now he has.
Likewise, the book was a bit of a mystery - I had it written as "unidentified tome" on my session log, but couldn't find its original identification. No worry, I have several lists of "Lost Tomes" that I've cobbled together over the years. I'm sure that something appropriate could be mined from that. And sure enough, the Codex of Rejuvenated Lands appeared.
Also, I didn't realize that the gods Medeg and Khador were sisters, until the elf shaman mentioned it. Well, families do have their squabbles, and I've added the improvisational moment to the canon.
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