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Judas: The Baron sits in one of the chairs and sips from his drink. "Indeed, I do. Locating Saventh-Yhi would be beneficial to Eleder, and to Sargava, for a number of reasons, especially if we can make use of its resources and acquire any artifacts that might be found. And, needless to say, there would also be benefits for the discoverers of the city. You say you have found information which may allow you to find the city. What would you need to turn information into a route to the city?"
Darmorel:
Your search leads you, quite quickly, to Temple Street, where missionaries of various groups have set up temples and shrines to deities all across the pantheon. The largest structure on the street is a shrine to the dead god Aroden, with an annex attached that bears the symbol of Iomedae. The next largest building bears the symbol of Gozreh. Inquiries indicate that a suitable donation to the church might make it possible for the spell in question to be cast. Judas:
You return to the mansion that serves as the seat of government for Eleder (and by extension, all of the nation of Sargava). Upon entering the main hall, you inform the clerk that you have arrived and take a seat to one side. As you sit and watch, you see several people go in and out of one of the doors at the side of the room. One group is dressed rather as fanciful tales say pirates dress, and all are clearly seafarers. After them come a pair, a very pale-skinned human woman with a shaved head in long, dark robes, and a man behind her with head bowed, an iron collar around his neck. Shortly after they leave, the clerk calls your name and tells you that you can be seen now.
You are led through the side door and up several flights of stairs to what appears to be a sitting room with doors open to a balcony with a view of the harbor. One wall is lined with bookshelves, the other with a large, detailed map of Sargava. A couch and several chairs surround a table in the middle of the room where two glasses sit next to a bottle of amber liquid. As you are ushered into the room, a middle-aged man in elaborate, multilayered robes of red and white and black strides into the room from the balcony. The servant behind you announces, "Presenting his Lordship, Grand Custodian of Sargava, the Honourable Baron Utilinus." The servant withdraws from the room and closes the door behind you. The man strides to the table and pours himself a glass of the amber liquid. "Come, sit. Please, don't stand on ceremony. I'm Baron Utilinus, and I hear from my friend Jask that you and your companions have found a lost city." Know(religion) DC 20 (Judas only): The man's outfit fits the description you've heard as the traditional style of Aroden's faith, done in the Sargavan national colors.
After trekking through the jungle, the survivors return to the lighthouse between midnight and dawn. They set the beacon alight, and shortly before dawn receive an answering signal. As the sun rises, they gather on the beach and see a whaling ship that sends a longboat to shore, and they parley for passage back to the mainland. Onboard ship, a number of things happens. Judas Iscariot assembles several crude magical cloaks to help protect the remaining members of the party from harm. Amukta reveals having knowledge of the whereabouts of a certain sword to Ishirou, who threatens to drop her into the sea if she doesn't tell him who. Gauron nearly gets into a fight with Isabella, a woman he meets aboard ship; they instead collaborate to throw Judas overboard; he is saved by Amukta. After reaching port in Eleder, more hijinks ensue. Gauron leads the way down the gangplank, only to have Darmorel run into him on her way up. She tries to pickpocket his coin purse, only to instead grab his coin purse. Gauron smacks her with the flat of his blade, nearly knocking her out in the process. When she runs, he gives chase and catches her, knocking her out fully this time. The rest of the group catches up while he decides that he's going to keep her as a pet. The group disperses to arrange for new gear and to sell off loot and try and figure out what to do next before reconvening at a tavern, where Gauron has been whooping it up. A number of interesting pieces of information have been uncovered, and now it's up to Pharasma and the group to decide what lies in store for our adventurers. Plot Hooks:
GM Dice:
The second and third watches are uneventful, leaving the remaining members of the group to wake up around 11:30 at night, well after the sun has gone down.
As the other two settle in to rest, Gauron keeps watch through the hottest part of the day. The only striking thing that occurs during the watch, aside from the oppressive heat of the day, is the relative stillness of the island. The only sounds are those of waves in the lagoon below and distant insect-song. No birds fly nearby, and no creatures can be heard in the nearer portions of the jungle. Soon, the heat is replaced by the rain clouds you all have come to expect.
Casey Reibach turns and whistles, summoning his giant bird to rejoin him. "That was interesting. If you plan on fighting more creatures like that ... thing in there, count me out. I'll be staying here, maybe try to clean up the island now that all the badness is leeched out." Aside from being astonishing in its clarity, this is also the single longest speech that Casey has made in your presence. Casey Reibach turns, and begins walking up the path that leads up the mountain. As he goes, he grabs a jug from his belt and takes a long pull, then stumbles and falls off the path into the undergrowth, presumably drunk. The roc flutters down, grabs the jug, and flies back to drop it in the lagoon. Gauron:
You manage to stick a small hare with one of your improvised arrows. Not much meat, but enough for two or three. The day begins to grow unbearably hot as the sun beats down, causing you to perspire and the jungle areas on the island to steam noticeably.
The inscrutable bluff overlooks the small lagoon on Smuggler's Shiv. Next to you, four standing stones surround a small, black pyramid with a bowl carved into the top. As you watch, the doors to the ancient temple close, and the water that was held at bay by powerful forces is released to thunder back into the lagoon. Eight of you had entered that temple, while only five of you returned. The bodies of Aerys Mavato, Ari'ana, and Sasha Nevah remain in the temple, along with the remains of ancient corpses and the body of a strange serpentine humanoid. The sun rises high in the sky, promising another hot day followed by afternoon drizzle. |
