** spoiler omitted **
Jin peers through the waterfall, trying to catch any hint of recognition or alarm by the bathing figure.
*If, as seems highly likely, the bathing figure is the drake we're looking for, why don't we simply announce ourselves- perhaps after giving those of our number affected by the spell the time to recover somewhat? I don't think it's terribly likely that we'll all be able to get past that trap, and more besides, without making ourselves reasonably obvious. And trying and failing would make us an obvious threat, and could make any subsequent attempt to negotiate with the drake much more complicated...
The bathing man is completely nonplussed and relaxed.
Jimbli eyes the spot where Amunet Ra indicated... "I can get everyone past it... say the word."
::"That's exactly what I planned on doing. I get the feeling sneaky and subtle, despite that being a specialty of several among this group, is probably the wrong tactic to take here."::
With that said, upon getting rather close to the bathing man, Hamza steps out of the shadows and announces himself. "A thousand apologies, I am looking for an audience with one Puthyrith-Rainsey also known as the mighty Thunderclap. If you are he, or can direct me to him, I would humbly beg the opportunity to speak with him."
::"That's exactly what I planned on doing. I get the feeling sneaky and subtle, despite that being a specialty of several among this group, is probably the wrong tactic to take here."::
With that said, upon getting rather close to the bathing man, Hamza steps out of the shadows and announces himself. "A thousand apologies, I am looking for an audience with one Puthyrith-Rainsey also known as the mighty Thunderclap. If you are he, or can direct me to him, I would humbly beg the opportunity to speak with him."
As Hamza speaks, the mans ceases his lustrations, though in an unhurried fashion that suggests he had already anticipated the interruption.
"Many thanks for your elegant manners," the man says as he inclines his chin politely in an attitude of recognition.
"I will confess that I had wondered whether you all intended to announce yourselves before you attempted some kind of assault on my person."
The man smiles broadly, allowing the recognition of his foreknowledge of the Company's presence sink in among its individual members,
"Now, let me guess, a rather aggressive bug made out of shadow sent you to dispose of me?"
He smiles again,
"Am I close? It probably won't surprise you to learn this isn't the first attempt on my life from the creature -- you may also surmise by my continued presence that the other attempts failed. Draw what inferences from that you wish."
"In any event, the majestic creature you seek stands here at my right hand," he gestures towards some immense form that Hamza cannot see, but of whose presence Amunet-Ra has just telepathically informed him.
"And his equally majestic sister Chanthavy-Chanvatey stands at my left."
Again, the man gestures towards an enormous space occupied by the unseen drake.
"I myself am Ito Boranchakara of the city-state of Yaramuke, and I most am pleased to make your acquaintance, and that of your companions. Come, let me gather my robes and we will speak of this specter and its desires."
"Before we get into too in-depth a discussion, I would make sure my companions and I aren't being spied upon. Because that's exactly what I would do, were I Kchac'Thraa."
"Before we get into too in-depth a discussion, I would make sure my companions and I aren't being spied upon. Because that's exactly what I would do, were I Kchac'Thraa."
"Before we get into too in-depth a discussion, I would make sure my companions and I aren't being spied upon. Because that's exactly what I would do, were I Kchac'Thraa."
"Oh, by all means, do so then."
Ito turns his back and strides onto the isle of purple rock and violet crystal which floats in the center of the water-logged cavern.
He deftly grabs a silken black robe draped over nearby ledge and quickly swathes it around his muscular body, instantly concealing the dense tapestry of colorful tattoos which cover virtually his entire torso, arms, legs, and back.
Ito then turns again to the face the entrance to the grotto. He clasps both hands behind his back, effecting an attitude of calm vigilance.
"Let me know when you're ready, and we shall continue."
Ri'Kli'Klek, hearing Hamza begin negotiations, leaps into the air and flies over next to him, landing nearby and again freezing to a near-standstill.
"If the defiler has been watching it is already too late to deceive him," Ri'Kli'Klek points out.
Ri'Kli'Klek, hearing Hamza begin negotiations, leaps into the air and flies over next to him, landing nearby and again freezing to a near-standstill.
"If the defiler has been watching it is already too late to deceive him," Ri'Kli'Klek points out.
Ito nods sagaciously,
"That would also be my conclusion, but far be it from me to set the course of another's deliberations. By all means, continue as you all see fit and I shall be ready to continue at that juncture."
Rokan stands by, letting Hamza continue to do the talking. He executes a quick psionic scan over the expand, particularly at the man and the two "empty" spaces he indicated.
Rokan stands by, letting Hamza continue to do the talking. He executes a quick psionic scan over the expand, particularly at the man and the two "empty" spaces he indicated.
[dice=knowledge (psionics) for any effects]1d20+15
[dice=Sense Motive, empathy (any deception, omitting anything?), hunch about social situation]1d20+13+2+2
The power of the earth drakes is so great that Rokan cannot even grasp their identity through his psionic prodding.
However, he is able to discern that Ito is a psionic variety of druid known as a Gaean that channels the innate intelligence of Athas. He is also a mentally inclined ranger that can form a mental link with its companion animals. Ito is clearly one of the rare psions known as a Beastmaster, disciples of the Will and the Way that undertake to domesticate powerful psionic creatures such as drakes.
Ito is slightly amused by the situation, and clearly confident in his ability to defend his person should he be attacked.
Jin gives Jimbli a nod.
"It seems like introductions have been successful. Go ahead and take us over, please."
A little more successful than we had any right to hope for, really. How many times has this happened, anyway?
After waiting for Ito to robe himself, Hamza continues "Oh yes we did indeed meet with the shadowy bug. It made a big deal of how Puthyrith-Rainsey 'stole' his grotto and how such a theft negatively impacted him and his people. I parlayed with him more to avoid a pitched battle than anything else, and we reached a tentative agreement, but that creature is an anathema to Athas. Besides, any good negotiator hears both sides before choosing which to aid. Assuming what I have heard about Thunderclap, and earth drakes in general is true, my companions and I are leaning towards assisting you."
After waiting for Ito to robe himself, Hamza continues "Oh yes we did indeed meet with the shadowy bug. It made a big deal of how Puthyrith-Rainsey 'stole' his grotto and how such a theft negatively impacted him and his people. I parlayed with him more to avoid a pitched battle than anything else, and we reached a tentative agreement, but that creature is an anathema to Athas. Besides, any good negotiator hears both sides before choosing which to aid. Assuming what I have heard about Thunderclap, and earth drakes in general is true, my companions and I are leaning towards assisting you."
Ito opens his arms and extends his hands, palms upwards, in an apparent gesture of invitation,
"Your open mindedness and sagacity is assuredly appreciated."
His right brow then declines precipitously in an expression of quizzical amusement,
"And yet, gentle stranger, I have still to determine that I have any need of you. Am I not here of my own will? Has any yet removed me? Why should I parlay at all, and not simply dismiss you from my presence?"
He then proceeds to give additional detail privately to Hamza.
Hamza shrugs "That is an absolutely fair point. As you've stated, all would be attempts to slay both yourself as well as Puthyrith-Rainsey and his sister have failed. However, I have been the target of several assassination attempts myself, and have also carried out many both successful and failures. While I too have clearly survived, I know perhaps better than most that such attempts tend ruin one's day. "
Before continuing the shrewd assassin attempts to get a read on Ito, and how his words are affecting the Beastmaster.
Hamza shrugs "That is an absolutely fair point. As you've stated, all would be attempts to slay both yourself as well as Puthyrith-Rainsey and his sister have failed. However, I have been the target of several assassination attempts myself, and have also carried out many both successful and failures. While I too have clearly survived, I know perhaps better than most that such attempts tend ruin one's day. "
Before continuing the shrewd assassin attempts to get a read on Ito, and how his words are affecting the Beastmaster.
Beneath the confident facade presented by his smug grin, the beastmaster Ito Boranchakara is clearly impressed by Hamza's remarks, and is reconsidering his initial flippancy towards the enigmatic merchant.
Hamza shrugs "That is an absolutely fair point. As you've stated, all would be attempts to slay both yourself as well as Puthyrith-Rainsey and his sister have failed. However, I have been the target of several assassination attempts myself, and have also carried out many both successful and failures. While I too have clearly survived, I know perhaps better than most that such attempts tend ruin one's day. "
Before continuing the shrewd assassin attempts to get a read on Ito, and how his words are affecting the Beastmaster.
"Hmmm? Multiple assassination attempts evaded? It appears, stranger, that you as well have led an eventful life."
Hamza bows apologetically "Ah, forgive my rudeness. I am Hamza, a scion of House Mīnakshi. Which is why I have had said attempts on my life. House Mīnakshi is incredibly ancient, and has amassed it's fair share of wealth, knowledge and power. Getting rid of me would leave my family that much more vulnerable."
Hamza bows apologetically "Ah, forgive my rudeness. I am Hamza, a scion of House Mīnakshi. Which is why I have had said attempts on my life. House Mīnakshi is incredibly ancient, and has amassed it's fair share of wealth, knowledge and power. Getting rid of me would leave my family that much more vulnerable."
"Well, Hamza of the House Mīnakshi, of which city-state thus far unspecified, that is indeed an interesting revelation of your circumstances."
"I am a native of Yaramuke, which long ago was devastated by a war with King Hamanu of Urik."
"Though much reduced, life continues in the remnants of the once great city, and some of its inhabitants have returned to the veneration of the True Drakes which once auspiciously guided us during the mythic Golden Age, which transpired before the tumult of the Cleansing Wars."
"The two majestic creatures besides me are both members of the drake nobility -- Prince Puthyrith-Rainsey the Thunderclap and Princess Chanthavy-Chanvatey the Diamond Blossom, and have returned from their long seclusion to guide my lowly personage in travels far and wide."
"So, Hamza, we are met, and met well from my sight of the thing -- how shall we proceed?"
Tyren grunts as he walks through the door, silently lambasting the fact that he hadn't played any music prior to moving through the door. With some focus, he draws a circle in the air, drawing energy from the Grey to anchor it to space. Finally, he begins chanting into the circle an ancient ritual for peering through time, and pulls out three pitted bullets as well as several coins. He places all the items on the circle, and in a flash, they become several small jars filled with a milky white paste. He picks them up and applies one to himself, before looking around. "I've got some Allnight here. It'll leave you jittery, but able to move Anyone else effected by that shadow door?"
Cae's anger at the shadow fiend wars with his wonder at seeing the cavern. He drags his finger along the wall, feeling the moisture there while feeling the waterfall's spray on his face. For just a moment, a childlike smile can be seen on his face as he leaps through the waterfall to join Hamza and the rest.
Ito's confidence is reassuring to Cae. Not worried by their presence, Ito seems less likely to strike at them without provocation. Cae tries to push the image of a cat toying with prey out of his mind as he opens his senses.
-------------------------------------------------------------------
Aura of the Moon: +2 to Fort saves, +4 temp HP/turn
Mutagen: +2 natural armor, +4 Dex, -2 Wis (Duration 10/60m)
Long Arm: EXPIRES
Wounds: 54/54
Vitality: 157/157 (+4)
Stamina: 14/14
Action Points: 8
Mythic Power: 6/7 (uses Surge, Absorb Blow, Retributive Reach AoO boost, HO Mythic Lunge reach extension)
Martial Focus: Yes
Extracts prepared:
1st: CLW, Enlarge Person, Ant Haul, Disguise Self, Heightened Awareness
2nd: Animal Aspect x2, Invisibility x2, Blood Transcription
Arcanotoxin: 5/12
Mutagen: Used
Maneuvers readied:
1st: Dizzying Venom Prana
2nd: Weakening Venom Prana, Iron Fang
3rd: Sickening Venom Strike, Tortoise Defense
Stance: Poisoner's Stance
Piercing Thunder Style: Inactive
Armiger's Mark: 0/11
Extended Defense: 0/1
Skill Tricks (per-encounter):
Extreme Leap: 0/1
Leaping Climber: 0/1
Wall Jumper: 0/1
Collector of Stories: 0/1
Far Hand wild talent: 0/2
Cold Vengeance rage power: 0/1
Disproportionate Retribution counterstrike: 0/1
Discern Kith slaver-hunting thing: 0/1
Fortune Hex reroll: 0/1
Jin grins cheekily.
"With lunch, perhaps? That horrible shadow-thing implied that you've been locked in a stalemate for some time- and while this is plainly a remarkable place, to be able to sustain you for so long, it isn't exactly a trading city, teeming with the world's spices, meats, ingredients and cuisines. Miraculous lifeshaped flora or no, your meals must be dull and routine- and while I don't have, for instance, the fresh fish I'd need to do something authentically Nibenese, I've the ingredients and skill for quite a variety of dishes. And there's nothing to create amity and friendship among strangers than breaking bread together.
Perhaps there's some cuisine you fondly recall from your time before you came here, something that you haven't been able to create with what's on hand? I'd be happy to try my hand at cooking for the drakes, even, though for them I'd have to put a new spin on the ingredients you have here rather than offer something from my comparatively meager stores. Would you say their palate more closely resembles that of a ssuran, dray, or yuan-ti?"
Invisibly Amunet-Ra circled Ito Boranchakara of the city-state of Yaramuke while he was bathing and enjoying himself.
Striding back to her companions and Hamza, she signaled them everything she saw on their backs with one hand.
When Hamza revealed himself and the conversation began, she stayed hidden, listening and watching. Concluding they probably knew of her as well, she too revealed herself, strolling forth from the waterside with natural elegance, as if she were familiar with bodies of water that big, large and deep. Which of course she wasn't and it really excited her, her mind running the numbers how much water that had to be, the temptation of jumping into it, enjoying herself like Ito Boranchakara of the city-state of Yaramuke had done just before and drinking from it untill she couldn't drink anymore growing stronger and stronger be the second.
You have to excuse my companions, Ito Boranchakara of the city-state of Yaramuke, they aren't really familiar with negotiations or trades, except for Hamza here.
She slightly bows her head and body.
My name is Amunet-Ra of the Serpent Singers from Kalidnay, or what is left of it.
Having a meal together might indeed be a good idea, we can sit down and talk. There are a couple of things we would like to discuss with you. It seems you have plenty of water to offer?
She gestures around over the immense body of water.
I couldn't help myself but watch you enjoying the water. Both the water and you are quite the unusal sight. I liked your tattoos and never saw the style before. You're in quite a good shape as well. And the water is...well i've never seen the like before. Would you mind if i try what you did there? Perhaps you can tell us the story of how you met those two noble and graceful drakes? How they became your guides? Or what you are doing alone out here as well as why and how you came here?
Amunet-Ra's voice is like a sweet chime, she often blinks her eyes, her body language tempting and in perfect harmony with all her words and gestures. Distinct from her usual bluntness and rudeness, clearly she is trying to win Ito over.
Having been struck by a sudden moment of weakness after that door, Ehawee was in no shape to talk overly much, nor was she feeling like she should. However, the man before them, along with the two drakes meant the group had been lied to about this, and it seemed to her for a good reason.
She would say to those close to her before they approached closer " It seems we were sent to our death here on purpose, from an enemy we could have beat. I see no reason to waste ourselves against two drakes."
Cae's anger at the shadow fiend wars with his wonder at seeing the cavern. He drags his finger along the wall, feeling the moisture there while feeling the waterfall's spray on his face. For just a moment, a childlike smile can be seen on his face as he leaps through the waterfall to join Hamza and the rest.
Ito's confidence is reassuring to Cae. Not worried by their presence, Ito seems less likely to strike at them without provocation. Cae tries to push the image of a cat toying with prey out of his mind as he opens his senses.
-------------------------------------------------------------------
[dice=Acrobatics: Jump]1d20+24+3+48
[dice=Perception: Illusion/Invisibility]1d20+22
[dice=Know: Arcana: Magic]1d20+23
Cycling through divinations(Range: | Close:40' | Med:160' |):
[dice=kn: local]1d20 + 14
[dice=kn: local]1d20 + 14
[dice=kn: nobility]1d20 + 14
[dice=kn: nobility]1d20 + 14
[dice=kn: religion]1d20 + 14Invisibly Amunet-Ra circled Ito Boranchakara of the city-state of Yaramuke while he was bathing and enjoying himself.
Striding back to her companions and Hamza, she signaled them everything she saw on their backs with one hand.
When Hamza revealed himself and the conversation began, she stayed hidden, listening and watching. Concluding they probably knew of her as well, she too revealed herself, strolling forth from the waterside with natural elegance, as if she were familiar with bodies of water that big, large and deep. Which of course she wasn't and it really excited her, her mind running the numbers how much water that had to be, the temptation of jumping into it, enjoying herself like Ito Boranchakara of the city-state of Yaramuke had done just before and drinking from it untill she couldn't drink anymore growing stronger and stronger be the second.
You have to excuse my companions, Ito Boranchakara of the city-state of Yaramuke, they aren't really familiar with negotiations or trades, except for Hamza here.
She slightly bows her head and body.
My name is Amunet-Ra of the Serpent Singers from Kalidnay, or what is left of it.Having a meal together might indeed be a good idea, we can sit down and talk. There are a couple of things we would like to discuss with you. It seems you have plenty of water to offer?
She gestures around over the immense body of water.I couldn't help myself but watch you enjoying the water. Both the water and you are quite the unusal sight. I liked your tattoos and never saw...
** spoiler omitted **
Jin grins cheekily.
"With lunch, perhaps? That horrible shadow-thing implied that you've been locked in a stalemate for some time- and while this is plainly a remarkable place, to be able to sustain you for so long, it isn't exactly a trading city, teeming with the world's spices, meats, ingredients and cuisines. Miraculous lifeshaped flora or no, your meals must be dull and routine- and while I don't have, for instance, the fresh fish I'd need to do something authentically Nibenese, I've the ingredients and skill for quite a variety of dishes. And there's nothing to create amity and friendship among strangers than breaking bread together.
Perhaps there's some cuisine you fondly recall from your time before you came here, something that you haven't been able to create with what's on hand? I'd be happy to try my hand at cooking for the drakes, even, though for...
Though noticeably still maintaining eye contact, Ito inclines his head gently in a gesture of both recognition and gratitude,
"Both and my two charges here would, I am sure, be pleasure to partake in whatever delicacies you might undertake to prepare. The waters of the grotto are inhabited by a variety of fresh water species."
"My own training and abilities have ensured that I have never gone hungry for a night while living within these stony walls."
"In particular, these waters are filled with a delectable species of blind cave fish, a variety of catfish with an almost sickly sweet flesh, as well as large pale rock crabs. I have also sampled the flesh of the great snapping turtles and alligators that occupy these dark waters."
"The flowers, mushrooms, and other flora that grow in the crevasses of the grotto also offer a ready source of nourishment."
"As for my royal charges, they are particularly fond of the sharks, alligators, and larger fish that are found at the furthest reaches of the grottos depths, and regularly descend into the shadowed reaches to retrieve their sustenance."
Hamza smiles warmly at Jin's suggestion of a meal, and doubly so when Amunet chooses to reveal herself. "Yes, I agree that sharing a meal between us all will be most beneficial. Besides, I'm starving and haven't had a good meal in quite some time."
Hamza smiles warmly at Jin's suggestion of a meal, and doubly so when Amunet chooses to reveal herself. "Yes, I agree that sharing a meal between us all will be most beneficial. Besides, I'm starving and haven't had a good meal in quite some time."
Surprise, disbelieve and confusion show on Amunet-Ras face for a moment when Ito speaks of water dwellers she never heard of.
Forgive me, great Ito, but i have never heard of the water dwellers you speak of. Are they dangerous? Do they poison the water? Did you really eat them? I'm really tempted to enter the water...
Surprise, disbelieve and confusion show on Amunet-Ras face for a moment when Ito speaks of water dwellers she never heard of.
Forgive me, great Ito, but i have never heard of the water dwellers you speak of. Are they dangerous? Do they poison the water? Did you really eat them? I'm really tempted to enter the water...
Ito chuckles,
"No indeed they do not poison their own habitat! Think - they would deprive themselves of their own food if they were to do so!"
"You may feel quite safe to enter the surface of the water. The larger creatures keep to the lower reaches, or out of my sight, now that they have grown accustomed to the drakes' presence, and are aware of the danger they undertake in coming near them."
"Are such creatures so rare now?" Ri'Kli'Klek asks, turning his head to Amunet-Ra, a note of sadness in his voice.
Yaramuke, once governed by Sorcerer-Queen Sielba, was the fourth city-state along the Road of Kings, near the Black Waters. Today, however, one would there find only haunted ruins and whispers of death and revenge.
It was only a generation ago when Sielba found herself coveting the obsidian of the Smoking Crown, then and now in the hands of Hamanu of Urik. This inevitably lead to a war that she could never win, and before she had even had the chance to call for allies from the other city-states, she found her city under siege by the mighty legions of Urik. But Hamanu was infuriated, the stories tell, and worked defiling blood magic which destroyed both the city and its inhabitants along with their Queen, and even a large part of his own army.
A very small number of Yaramukes inhabitants were lucky to survive the wrath of Hamanu, and they now travel around the Tablelands speaking of the horrors they or their ancestors were witnesses to. They also speak of Sielba’s riches and ancients artifacts, and this promise has been enough for many adventurers to defy the dangers of the ruins, but no one has ever returned.
Yaramuke is largely a ruin. There are several significant features. Western approach of the city is dominated by the Forest of Fear, a dense coniferous assemblage that rises from the jagged heights upon whose edge the ruins are perched.
Yamauke’s ruins include sites such as the fabled Pagoda of Delights, where the sorcerer-queen Sielba held court with foreign dignitaries.
Travelers should fear the Black Waters from which the city now derives its title. These waters were polluted by the defiling magic with which Sielba conquered the city from the True Drakes and their druidic emissaries.
To the south of the city sprawls the Dragon's Head Plateau, also known as the Plateau of the True Drakes. This massive rise is shaped in the image of a reptilian skull, a pair of deep pools forming the immense beast's eyes. It is said to be a ritual site for the lask tribes that now inhabit the ruins, as well as the hidden remnant of the druids who once venerated the awakened drakes known as the True or Heavenly or Divine Drakes.
The entirety of the Yaramuke ruins and the Forest of Fear is surrounded by a desiccated strip of badlands known as the Desert of Tarnished Gold, as well as the Burnished or Blasted Wastes, a lifeless yet stunning stretch of shining sand that surrounds the ruins for several miles on all sides, dividing its secrets from the rest of the Tablelands. These wastes are mysteriously filled with illusions that waylay the path of travelers. They are also haunted by skinwalkers and other monstrosities that mimic the voices of companions or other lost souls, seeking to draw the unwary into a certain doom. The sands glitter with the shine of fool’s gold, though rumors of a real load persist. Many settlements of foolish prospectors have been swallowed up over the centuries.
Urik stands in the middle of a scorched wasteland, and is known as the 'Red and Terrible City'. It is constructed on the bones of an immense creature known as the 'Godbeast', rumored to be among the first creations of Temulea the Grand Architect.
One story is that the waste is the result of the fall of the war god god Krüg when his corpse was cast from the heavens by the Creator Temulea during the Dawn War.
The architecture and armament of the city relies on the organic building material and other technological applications extracted from the godbeast.
The red waste around Urik is filled with monstrosities that are kept at bay by the impressive defenses of the city, emblematic of which are its high battlements of multi-colored brick.
Its legions are of almost unparalleled power because of their armament composed of godbeast bone, and armor of godbeast hide.
Hamanu grew up as Manu, a farmer's son in one of the many villages that supported the army of the then-Troll Scorcher during the Cleansing Wars. But on his wedding day, his village was brutally destroyed by trolls, leaving him the sole survivor with an all-consuming need for vengeance. He joined the Troll-Scorcher's army, but then he discovered that none of the army units were actually attacking trolls - in fact, they were forbidden from doing so on pain of death by the Troll-Scorcher himself! All they did was to scout on and herd the trolls, and all the human villages were little more like farms for trolls to sustain them. It was like the "Troll-Scorcher" had little intention of actually finishing the war against the troll - which was, of course, exactly right as he would discover later...
After this revelation, he managed to create a renegade unit which actively hunted trolls. This unit was destroyed after the Troll-Scorcher caught up to them - but when Manu hurled a stream of invectives cursing his incompetence at the Troll-Scorcher as he lay dying from his sorcery, Rajaat - the First Sorcerer, who had created the Champions of the Cleansing Wars - heard him, struck down the Troll-Scorcher, and turned Manu into a Champion himself.
As a Champion, Manu became Hamanu, an immature dragon who was also capable of granting clerical spells to his followers via the Dark Lens. He soon realized that this state was a terrible trap. As a dragon, he constantly hungered to devour the life energy of living beings around him. Each arcane spell he cast hastened the transformation into a full-fledged dragon, which would go mad and rampage as a beast and destroy the land - which clashed with his farmer's dream of a green and pleasant land dotted with fields that he clung to to keep himself sane.
He finished the genocide against the trolls, and then tried to go to his old home in the mountains to rebuild the farmland with his veterans of the war. But when he heard of some of his veterans becoming warlords in the plains, preying on other humans and still doing it all in his name, he became enraged and went down there to punish the wicked. Then the people of the small town of Urik offered him to become their king, saying that it was probably inevitable that each city would be ruled by a god-king (as happened in nearby Tyr), and they wanted it to be a god-king of their own choosing. He accepted for a time, and he might have left it again - but then he got visited by Rajaat.
Rajaat made it clear to him that he planned to make him into the true dragon. Then it would be his job to end the Cleansing Wars permanently - which meant slaughtering all the humans so that Rajaat could restore the world to the Blue Age, filling it with oceans and giving it back to the halflings. Desperate, Hamanu fled to the only other Champion whom he trusted as far as he could throw them - Borys of Ebe, the Butcher of the Dwarves who like him had been born a commoner and a replacement for an earlier Champion.
The rest is history. The Champions, working together, managed to imprison Rajaat for a time - but they had to transform Borys into the Dragon to secure the magical prison, and the Dragon promptly went mad for a hundred years and ravaged the land until it became the desert that modern-day people of Athas know. And each sorcerer-king had to give an annual levy of hundreds of slaves to the Dragon so that he could maintain the wards around the prison - all so that a far worse menace than the sorcerer-kings could be contained and prevented from destroying the world completely.
Hamanu went back to Urik, where he ruled as god-king. He saw it as his prosperous farm, which must be protected, taken care of so that it could grow, and its inhabitants as the children he never had. In time, he became "as wise as he was cruel". He realized that he was subject to a vast temper, pride, and whims (after a thousand years of rule, it is easy to get bored) so he didn't try to micromanage everything. He realized that corruption and rivalries between his templars was never going to go away completely, so he made them all live in one quarter of the city under fairly spartan conditions to limit the damage. He built a very oppressive society, yet where people of merit could rise in station. His temper could kill, yet "he'd never kill a man who told him the truth". He hitch-hikes on the minds of ordinary citizens to alleviate his boredom - and to stay aware of the state of the city so that he could prune the worst excesses of the wicked and corrupt. He wrote a restrictive code of law, including a curfew lasting the entire night - but accepts that people will break it by necessity. His true saving grace is that he will do anything to protect the city and its inhabitants as a whole - which turns him from an outright villain into an anti-villain at times.
Hamanu is a sorcerer-king. He is evil and has been monstrous in his deeds at many times. His sanity is questionable. But he is not the worst of the lot.
The True, Divine, or Heavenly Drakes are drakes that were awakened by the druids of Yaramuke. They sought to acquire need deific protectors for their civilization in the wake of the Dawn Age, when the only true gods of Athas perished in the great struggle against the xxyth that ended civilization and brought on the deluge of the Blue Age.
There are awakened drakes of every type.
These sometimes assume human forms and interbreed with their servants.
The True Drakes were divided when some of their number were seduced by the defiler servants of Sielba. These incited a civil war within the awakened drakes over their custodianship of Yaramuke's human population. The end result of the war was that the traitors were sealed away within an enchanted sarcophagus.
The awakened drakes are worshiped both by the surviving members of Yaramuke's druidic elite who comprise an important component of the Trinity Society, as well as the lask, a tribe of reptilian creatures that are more recent arrivals to the ruins of Yaramuke. Both groups have an uneasy truce in utilizing the Prismatic Shrine at the summit of the Drake's Head Plateau, located to the south of the Yaramuke ruins.
The half-drakes that result from the interbreeding of polymorphed True Drakes and their servants are usually among the elite of this community.
The druids of Yaramuke now mostly belong to a criminal society that controls a sector of the ruins. This is the Trinity Society or Sthan'Baromsokh-Php'Phendei-Mnoussacheate Sahchip -- Heaven, Earth, Humanity Union.
Rokan lights up a bit at the mention of trading cuisines. This is quite uncharacteristic against how he's been the entire venture previously.
It's not usually what one works with in an urban setting such as Tyr, but I suspect I could also use these components to replicate some of the street food we used to enjoy there!
Rokan lights up a bit at the mention of trading cuisines. This is quite uncharacteristic against how he's been the entire venture previously.
It's not usually what one works with in an urban setting such as Tyr, but I suspect I could also use these components to replicate some of the street food we used to enjoy there!
After a few moments of porting people across the trap, Jimbli steps forward.. mesmerized by the water and Ito's words on lies within it.
"Cat-fish... boggles the mind"
"Food?" He nods "I could eat."
Tyren, noting everyone had headed down already, floated his way down the staircase--Who uses stairs when you can fly?--And landed at the bottom. Noting the discussion on food, he was tempted to offer his own skills, though they all looked to be enjoying discussing how to make do, he just couldn't bring himself to ruin the moment.
As the idea takes hold, Cae produces cookware out of thin air.
Aura of Divine Favor: +2 luck to attack/damage
Aura of the Moon: +2 to Fort saves, +4 temp HP/turn
Mutagen: +2 natural armor, +4 Dex, -2 Wis (Duration 20/60m)
Wounds: 54/54
Vitality: 157/157 (+4)
Stamina: 14/14
Action Points: 8
Mythic Power: 7/7 (uses Surge, Absorb Blow, Retributive Reach AoO boost, HO Mythic Lunge reach extension)
Martial Focus: Expended
Extracts prepared:
1st: CLW, Enlarge Person, Ant Haul, Disguise Self, Heightened Awareness
2nd: Animal Aspect x2, Invisibility x2, Blood Transcription
Arcanotoxin: 5/12
Mutagen: Used
Maneuvers readied:
1st: Dizzying Venom Prana
2nd: Weakening Venom Prana, Iron Fang
3rd: Sickening Venom Strike, Tortoise Defense
Stance: Poisoner's Stance
Piercing Thunder Style: Inactive
Armiger's Mark: 0/11
Extended Defense: 0/1
Skill Tricks (per-encounter):
Extreme Leap: 0/1
Leaping Climber: 0/1
Wall Jumper: 0/1
Collector of Stories: 0/1
Far Hand wild talent: 0/2
Cold Vengeance rage power: 0/1
Disproportionate Retribution counterstrike: 0/1
Discern Kith slaver-hunting thing: 0/1
Fortune Hex reroll: 0/1
Jin claps her hands, rubbing them together in anticipation.
"Very well, then. The suggestion of Tyrian street food is an excellent one, since that's what I cut my teeth on learning to cook- but with the rare privilege of fresh fish close at hand, I don't think I can resist the temptation to give a bit of Nibenese cuisine a try after all."
To say nothing of the fact that every reptilian culture I'm aware of seems to prefer fermented condiments to more straightforward Tyrian spices. Little snakey Ssi-ruk claimed not to feel the least bit of heat from cayenne, Halaby, or black pepper, and said cumin tasted sweet. I don't think the drakes would get much out of seasoning their fish like kebab. But soy, miso, or fish sauce should translate just fine.
"A bit of each, I think."
The temptation here is to try to serve up impressive food- some grand feat of highly ornamented palace cuisine. Jin knows enough to resist that impulse: such things are for those with every tool imaginable at their disposal, an army of assistants, and hours to prepare, not a few chefs with a waiting group that's hungry *right now*. Erdlu kebab with the meat in her pack, basic sushi...Are those grapes? Dolmathakia, then, and the grapes themselves. And, let's see...every scrap of bonito and every sardine she has ought to be just enough to make a base for a heroic nabe suitable for a drake. Vegetables and protein...let's see what there is to find.
She withdraws a cooking pot of substantial size from her pack, dips it in the clear, clean waters to fill it a third full, and sets it up.
"Rokan- could you help by seeing to it that the rice cooks well while I get the fish? And- ah."
Jin makes a sour face.
"I am a poisoner of considerable skill. Sworn as I am to serve this Company, intentional betrayal is out of the question....but it occurs to me that the circumstances of my joining you do not firmly rule out some malign psionic suggestion. Supervise me as I cook, please. I'll taste everything as I add it: if I fail, remind me.
Nar-Maraq."
?! The cauldron instantly begins to boil, not twenty seconds after having been filled and without any hint of fire: leaving Rokan with this minor miracle and a large bag of rice, she goes to fish. In a trice, Jin's shoes are off and she's stripped to the waist, with only a wrapping to preserve her modesty. There's a moment of uncertainty here. It's a rare resident of the Tablelands not blessed with Nibenay's extensive aquaculture who's familiar with cooking with seafood, and Jin manages to be among their number. But it's a rarer resident of the Tablelands who knows how to swim, and Jin isn't a member of that exclusive club- but she finds the right place to deal with that weakness, a crystal-clear portion of the waters no more than waist-deep and teeming with fish.
That's odd, though. She doesn't have any tools. How is she planning to-
"Gu."
The black-furred wolfdog is abruptly there, lounging on a rock where there was only a hint of shadow before.
"Kill. Kill. Kill."
She points at one fish, a second, a third- and with no hint of motion or indeed interest from the dog, each one in turn simply...dies.
That's somewhat disturbing. Still, whatever it did, there isn't a mark on the creatures, and they're perfectly preserved for making a meal of them. Jin wades in to scoop them up - two of the milky-eyed cave fish and a kind of bream she recognizes from her time in Nibenay's fish markets- and returns them to a flat rock set up next to the cauldron.
"You said the big, dangerous ones kept themselves to deeper waters?"
This at our host: at the responding nod, she cocks her head to the side in thought, heaves up a remarkably heavy stone under one arm, takes a deep breath, and-
Jumps in?
Fifteen seconds pass. Thirty. The surface fish scatter as a faint red tinge spirals up from the depths, and Gu makes an unhappy canine noise of concern...before Jin breaks the surface again, thrashing inelegantly but powerfully and dragging some kind of enormous sturgeon half again as big as she is.
"This one looked good!"
Before long, this to is deposited next to Rokan, and she's jumped back in to repeat the procedure, bringing back a second just as large. These ones do have a wound on them, but it's difficult to see how she could've made such a wound, barehanded as she seems to be: it looks more like the thrust of a spear than anything. The mystery swiftly resolves itself as she deftly and efficiently cleans and dresses the creatures: she uses a flake of sharpened obsidian wrapped in a scrap of leather for the finer work, but she's fully strong enough to thrust her fingers into and through the flesh of the titanic creature, crack open the ribs, and tear it practically in half by hand- strong greatly out of proportion to her frame. Her skin must be unusual, too, for her fingers not to be torn up by the scales.
From there, things are less unusual, if still done with self-assured competence. The rice is separated into two portions- the greater portion mixed with fragrant parsley, dill, and mint, a handful of pine nuts, and lemon juice, wrapped in grape leaves, and sautéd for a time in olive oil, with onions adding to the aroma and anticipation. The lesser part of it is carefully rinsed, seasoned minimally but with care with salt, sugar, and rice vinegar, and hand-pressed into small mounds, on which are placed carefully-selected slivers of wholly uncooked bream, sturgeon, and cave fish. (After a swift but thorough check for parasites.) The speed at which she prepares it all is remarkable, though there's something subtly off about her movements: she positively vibrates with energy, seemingly unable to keep still even in the rare moments she's waiting for something to cook without finding some other task to do in parallel.
These serve as finger food and appetizers, along with the grapes, and she urges the others to indulge as she samples a few herself and turns her attention to the more substantial part of the meal...
As Jin prepares their meal, Hamza continues his conversation with Ito. "Tell me my friend, how is it you, Puthyrith-Rainsey and Chanthavy-Chanvatey came to be here, in this grotto? And more importantly, why do you stay? Surely if they are to 'guide you on travels far and wide' you would not be confined to this immense cave, lovely though it might be."
Cae's anger at the shadow fiend wars with his wonder at seeing the cavern. He drags his finger along the wall, feeling the moisture there while feeling the waterfall's spray on his face. For just a moment, a childlike smile can be seen on his face as he leaps through the waterfall to join Hamza and the rest.
Ito's confidence is reassuring to Cae. Not worried by their presence, Ito seems less likely to strike at them without provocation. Cae tries to push the image of a cat toying with prey out of his mind as he opens his senses.
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[dice=Acrobatics: Jump]1d20+24+3+48
[dice=Perception: Illusion/Invisibility]1d20+22
[dice=Know: Arcana: Magic]1d20+23
Cae detects the presence of an incoporeal entity's aura.
The bard detects the presence of several dozen portals or extradimensional spaces within the grotto.
Cae detects nothing.