Leryn growls again before stepping next to Warpac and bites on the otherworldly creature!
->
Adowyn sends another volley towards the savage elf...
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A wave of magical missiles arc through the woods and smash into the elf. Each missile leaves behind a sickening crunch as the elf hurtles to the ground several feet away, with lifeless eyes.
With the elf out of the way Adowyn redirects his volley to the red Howler. One of the arrows finds a home as it adds to the many quills on the outsiders body.
Leryn backs up Warpac, using the dwarf as a barrier and snaps at the blue Howler.
Leryn pulls at the Howlers neck to bring it to the ground but just can't seem to gain the necessary leverage.
Narika
Adowyn (40/52)(Leryn- 48/51; Howler cursed -1 Wis DC 12 Will 1/hour)
Ruprecht
Sickly (*1 save)
Warpac
Kyra
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Howlers (Red -32) (Blue -18)
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Leryn avoids most of the quills from sinking into his snout...
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Sickly charges into the southern howler with his dwarven longhammer.
Sickly's hammer caves the Howler's skull in with a sickening crunch. In mere seconds the outsider's body quickly burns away as it returns to its own realm.
Warpac follows suit and cleaves into the remaining Howler's neck with his axe, dropping it to the ground.
Each howler wears a silver collar engraved with the holy symbol of Zon-Kuthon. The collars mark the beasts as minions of Tyruwat and are worth 50 gp each.
Narika
Adowyn (40/52)(Leryn- 48/51; Howler cursed -1 Wis DC 12 Will 1/hour)
Ruprecht
Sickly (*1 save)
Warpac
Kyra
"Well... good job I say! Now let's check the elf body..." says Adowyn after healing herself and Leryn with a wand and then starting to search the fallen wild elf.
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The group quickly patches themselves up as Kyra inspects the elf, attempting to discern if it is in fact Tyruwat. Though little is known about the reclusive witch doctor, but from what Kyra can tell this arrow riddled elf does not seem to be Tyruwat.
A canoe drifts gently downstream. The boat carries an older man wearing a dark-colored mask and a necklace crafted out of animal bones. The man salutes and raises a small horn. “Halt, travelers!” he cries out. “Turn back from this cursed place, lest the Song of Extinction reach your ears.”
Narika
Adowyn (52/52)(Leryn- 51/51; Howler cursed -1 Wis DC 12 Will 1/hour)
Ruprecht
Sickly (Howler cursed -1 Wis DC 12 Will 1/hour)
Warpac (66/66)
Kyra
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Warpac joins her and casts Detect Magic to seek out anything magical as well as performing his own mundane search.
After noticing the newcomer, Warpac speaks up in his gravelly voice.
"Say, good fellow. Any idea what those things were or why that elf was so belligerent?" Never mind that we attacked first. Maybe he did not notice that. "We have heard of this song and were sent to silence it. If we can. Can you tell us anything about it?"
He's a bit nervous, and when he is nervous his waraxe is in constant motion. Best not to stand too close as he has been known to break things accidentally and I'm sure none of you would care to be broken.
Adowyn checks out the man on the canoe then she shouts:"Hello there! Are you the witch doctor, Tyruwat? If so we were sent here to meet with you and get rid of the sond of extinction! Can you help us save this place?"
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The man's attitude changes to a much friendlier tone and demeanor at the sight of the copper coin.
"Hello there! Are you the witch doctor, Tyruwat? If so we were sent here to meet with you and get rid of the song of extinction! Can you help us save this place?"
The man steps out of his canoe and onto the rocky soil. At the mention of Tyrmet he sneers as his voice turns to one of regret. "I am Nanji" He says in a thick accent, placing a hand on his chest which causes the bone necklace to rattle. "Tyruwat is a lost soul. I am afraid I helped Tyruwat sneak back into Dokeran on the promise of gold and extended life. I accepted." His eyes look sorrowful. "I touched the Song of Extinction as Tyruwat activated it and fled the city before the destruction got out of control." The Witch Doctor seems visibly shaken by the whole ordeal.
"I have been wandering this swamp now for some time, which has given me plenty of time to think on my actions and have offered myself to your Venture captain in hopes of redeeming myself. Though it's destruction would put an end to my unnatural life, it must be released from Tyruwat's hands."
The Witch Doctor shakes his head. "I can lead you to the remains of the ruins of Dokeran if you so wish?"
I see... lead the way then. But before you do... is there anything you can tell us about strange porcupine like monsters and wild elves running around and attacking people? We were just forced to deal with some of them..." says Adowyn to the newcomer
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"I'm a bit confused about the sequence of events. Are you saying that Tyruwat went to Dokeran and found this stone, then recruited you and snuck back in, then activated it? And now that he activated it the city is a wasteland? How exactly was it destroyed? A big explosion? How did you survive?"
Warpac opens his mouth as if to ask more questions but decides to wait. Too many questions at one time can be distracting.
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The witch Doctor explains further as he is prompted by the group of Pathfinders. "Let me see if I can go into more detail along the way."
"Dokeran was once a prosperous, small city in the Mwangi Expanse, the stone spires of its temples visible for miles. The city was destroyed decades ago by Tyruwat, the very shaman whose spiritual guidance led it to greatness. Dokeran fell because Tyruwat turned away from the tribe’s ancient tradition of totemism to follow Zon-Kuthon, a god whose portfolio more closely matched his own secret macabre interests.
When Tyruwat openly praised the Midnight Lord, most of the citizens of Dokeran were horrified by the dark god and all that he represented, and he gained few followers. Tyruwat knew he needed allies within the city to better serve his new deity, yet even the promise of eternal life was not enough to sway the hearts and minds of the grand temple’s high clerics. The tribal elders quickly voted to expel Tyruwat and his small band of cultists from the city, and he became known as Tyruwat the Lost One.
Seeking revenge against his tribe, the Lost One called out to Zon-Kuthon in desperate prayer. His prayers were answered in the form of divine inspiration to pen a dark song. Tyruwat inscribed the dirge’s lyrics in Abyssal runes onto the sides of a music box, forging a dangerous artifact called the Song of Extinction. When a strong-willed follower of Zon-Kuthon sings the lyrics to the tune that emanates from the music box, the unleashed magic is strong enough to tear down stone walls, reducing entire cities to dust and ruins. The life force of those slain by the fell song is then absorbed into the music box, where it can be used to extend the lifespan of the user.
Tyruwat and a handful of Zon-Kuthon’s cultists slipped back into Dokeran by bribing a corrupt witch doctor with the promise of gold and a lengthened lifespan. While the witch doctor distracted the city guards with his magic, the Lost One set his plan into motion. The shaman unleashed the Song of Extinction, bringing the Midnight Lord’s wrath down on the tribe of Dokeran and obliterating its people and structures in an instant."
"And when did this happen exactly?" asks a puzzled Adowyn.
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Warpac's axe hangs limply as he considers what was said. The axe seems almost like a meter that measures his mood. "Oh dear. And you were that witch doctor? Well, that's quite a load to carry. I'll bet that makes a long life less desirable."
He thumps the axe into a handy stump or perhaps the keel of the boat in emphasis and exclaims, "Well, we'll help you set things to rights, at least as best we can!"
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"And when did this happen exactly?"
"Several decades ago. The box extended our lifes by who knows how long."
"Oh dear. And you were that witch doctor?
"I regrettably was."
"A long life remembering such things could probably come to resemble slavery. We will do what we can."
The witch doctor smiles a genuine smile and hands Narika small leather sack. Opening it reveals several gold nuggets found from around the area. "My thanks for you coming to our aid."
As the witch doctor's tale comes to a close you arrive at the ruins of Dkoeran,or what remains. All that is left standing is a Grand Temple shaped like a lone pyramid.
Eerie singing echoes from a strange pyramid rising up out of the swamp. A crumbling stone spire at the peak of the pyramid reaches for the heavens.
"Well then... this is where we get in and deal with the big bad song... right?" comments Adowyn patting Leryn on his back.
Leryn scans the area sniffing around the undergrowth...
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Sickly is mostly quiet, during the trip downriver, seemingly distracted ever since the the howler attack earlier... occasionally rubbing at his temples like he has a sudden headache.
The sounds of the haunting tune echoing through the jungle from the ruins of Dokeran seem to finally draw his attention back, and he frowns slightly, wincing. He immediately removes some earplugs and sticks them in his ears, just in case.
He seems happy that Ruprecht seems eager to take the lead, and follows along at the indicated distance, hammer at the ready, occassionally sniffling and wiping his nose on one sleeve but otherwise alert for trouble.
As they enter the ruins of the temple, he eyes the broken stonework with a critical eye, trying to determine how it happened.
Assuming Ruprecht indicates it is safe, he will go up to the edge of the hole to see if there is a safe route down.
Adowyn lets the others do their searching...
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Sickly determines that the stonework around the gaping hole is safe enough to stand on without further collapse. Though as the group formulates a plan to climb down and search for traps you begin to hear words to the song.
“Forsake beauty, embrace envy.”
“The shadows call out for souls.”
“Raise your voices. The greatest scream choir will be heard this day.”
“Beg, beg for pain. The Midnight Lord will show his might.”
“Learn to welcome the chains.”
Emerging through the floor and walls are what Kyra instantly recognizes as ghosts. Their incorporeal forms are twisted and decayed as the Mwangi spirits swirl around the room, seeking targets for their pent-up rage.
Kyra
Ruprecht
Adowyn (Leryn- 51/51; Howler cursed -1 Wis DC 12 Will 1/hour)
Narika
Sickly (-1 Wis)
Warpac
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Ghosts
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