More to come
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An elderly ink splattered scholar with an annoyed look on his face and book in his hand stumbles into the office of the venture captain.
"I wish to make a complaint! Look, once again..." here he slams the book - the latest version of the chronicles - down on the desk.
"Dr Jones gets a leading article in the Chronicles. Front page. And for what? What... It looks like a diary entry gloating about yet another of his conquests not a scholarly work! Where as my in depth write-up of the Secret Taldane Archives under the Kitharodian Academy got..... rejected."
He then looks around the office, realising that some others are already here. "Oh... are you my latest bunch of students? I hope you all completed the reading assignment that was set out CLEARLY as required prerequisite work..."
The adventure begins in Sargava during its dry season, which brings a respite from humid rains, but the heat still hangs oppressively across the region. The Eleder Lodge is built for the environment, with wide windows funneling breezes through its halls, but even so, it’s stuffy in this closed-door meeting with Finze Bellaugh, Venture-Captain of Sargava. He paces around his desk, filling glasses with cool iced tea before sitting down, filling his own glass, and pushing aside a velvet cloth filled with pieces of a wayfinder under construction. The sunlight slanting through blinds casts his features in shadow as he takes a swallow of tea.
"Well clearly that is the sort of thing that sell the chronicles." The Venture Captain says picking up the Chronicle and looking at the title. "But, I doubt this mission will make you a household name. This mission is one of closure. And no, they are you fellow agents, not students."
VC Bellaugh claps his hands together, "Now the reason we are here"
“Ten years ago, an expedition into the Mwangi interior discovered some interesting items from the Age of Anguish: items believed to belong to the King of Biting Ants, abandoned in his defeat by Old Mage Jatembe. Clearly, these are worthy of study—so much of that period is still half-myth! But we never had the chance. The expedition’s return journey crossed through Mzali territory, and, as I am sure you know, the Mzali despise trespassers. Only one agent made it out alive, and he bears... many scars. Some of a nature it has been impossible to heal.”
“Stuinvolk was an excellent field agent before this. But the trauma of seeing his friends die, from being hunted, tortured, and then barely escaping... upon his return, we tried to find a place for him, but the limited fieldwork we provided showed he hadn’t recovered enough for that type of stress. His moods changed without warning. Anger mingled with icy reserve, throwing himself into needless risk to protect others, or shutting down in a panic mid fight. We tried to find him other work, but in all cases he had become unsuitable. Even when simply taking reports from other agents, he would break out in a sweat when hearing about experiences even slightly similar to his own.
“We have been trying to find ways to help those who suffer mental distress like this on the Society’s behalf—Stuinvolk is not the first, of course. And, in the past year, he has made some success. He is working with a specialist who has soothed many of the rough patches in his mind. He now understands the deaths of his friends are not his fault. There is one element to his therapy that remains to be seen, though: revisiting what he feels is his greatest failure. At the end of the Mzali hunt, Stuinvolk was alone and unsure if he would survive. He hid the artifacts where the Mzali wouldn’t find them. But they caught him, tortured him, and left him for dead.
He would have died if not for a twist of fate. Have any of you heard of a creature called a nuno? Odd, solitary gremlins, mushroom-headed and possessed of an affinity for ants. Stuinvolk was left staked out among this particular nuno’s anthills. While it eventually set him free, it was so outraged by the intrusion that it laid a curse upon Stuinvolk—a curse we have not been able to remove. Stuinvolk managed to return to civilization, but he has lived with the nuno’s mark upon him all this time. And that is how he can undo his greatest regret—those who are cursed by a nuno also have the ability to unerringly locate that nuno again. ”
Bellaugh leans forward on the desk, and his voice lowers to a whisper. “To be clear, this is no mere treasure hunt. As important as the artifacts are, they are trinkets. You are escorting and protecting Stuinvolk because his counselor believes he needs to reach some kind of closure. He is willing to revisit the place of his greatest nightmares and retrieve that which he feels he lost. I would like those artifacts, yes, but my main concern is helping my agent. I have seen too many lost to horror. I am sending you all along to bring him home again. Find the treasures, compel the nuno to lift its curse, but most of all, help Stuinvolk find peace.”
"Any questions?" Bellaugh asks before taking a sip of his tea.
Lounging on the floor at the far side of the room, in a pool of warm sunlight, a large black furred cat raises its head, yawns, and goes back to dozing.
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A dwarf with a shaved head and dark eyes sits quietly during the speech. His pitch black beard is tied tight. The inky color is split by a large smile, "Hail! Well met and good to see some of you again!"
The massive double-bitted head of his greataxe rings as it hits his masterfully crafted plate armor.
"At least this agent being escorted is awake." He laughs at his own joke, then realizes that it's not funny. "How far is this journey, and what's between us and there? And what exactly do we DO when we get to this nanunanu thing?"
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Khellek looks around aghast.
"No... I was signing up to teach a class on contempary history not another field assignment!"
However his ears prick up a bit as word of the ancient artifacts and pre-history start to come to light. "Well, perhaps I might be interested in providing some scholarly oversite. What more can you tell us of this curse that the nuno laid upon Stuinvolk?"
He searches his mind for what else he might know of the odd gremiln like creatures.
In spire of the heat and his full scholars robes, it may be noted that Khellek does not seem bothered by the heat. "I'd hardly say it would be plesant heading back into the jungle, but I have some allies there that owe me a favor or two.."
"Of course.." he starts to pontificate...
"The area has some substantial history as well and an interesting collection of cultures within it.."
Finally he turns back to the VC. "If we go there and recover these artefacts...how are we to avoid the fate that Stuinvolk met? Will not the natives again try to recover these precious goods?"
"What stands between you and you destination is Mzali territory and Mzali "claimed" territory" The VC says gesturing when saying claimed. "Now avoiding this claimed territory will be difficult, but you should be able to skirt the edges and stay away from most of their patrols."
"Now do not expect too much jungle travel. We have hired a riverboat to get you through the majority of the way. That should take a few days. Once you leave the boat, you will find yourself in an open savanna. Stuinvolk estimates it might be a week or so to travel to the nuno’s territory. We’ll arrange for the boat’s return to retrieve you, a few weeks later."
"All we know of the Nuno, is what Stuinvolk has told us. If the gremlin fails to lift the curse after negotiation, destroying it may lift the curse as well. As well as what the Nuno is, Khellek here seems well versed, he could probably feel you in on them"
Knowledge History
What you might know about the King of Biting Ants and Old-Mage Jatembe.
KNOWLEDGE (LOCAL)
Mzali has a fearsome reputation in Sargava.
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"This goes back to the earliest recordered histories.." starts the scholar. "Old-Mage Jatembe is a near-mythic figure who is responsible for returning knowledge and control of magic to a devastated world a thousand years after Earthfall. An event that I have myself witnessed as part of the society expedition a few years ago."
He smiles "But I digress. Jatembe had a group of ten magic warriors and together they defeated the King of Biting Ants... a menacing sorcerer from the age of Anguish whose body was composed of venomous insects. This sorcerer lived deep in teh Mwangi expanse in a place known as the Doorway to the Red Star. There is speculation that rather than killing the sorcerer Jatembe merely banished him thought the magical doorway."
He then regails the group with information on Sargava, and hte Mzali in particular. "They are a xenophobic city-state on the Pasuango River, deep within the Mwangi expanse. They believe that Mwangi is only for the local peoples - a foolish concept really. They reject civilisation and even trade with anyone not from the Mwangi but most especially people from our developed continent. The Mzali hate the people of Sargava perhaps more than others - maybe because they bring the light of civilisation to these barbaric shores. They certainly don't like outsiders in their territory. Of course their dislike may also come from the attack that Sargava launched on them after they discovered their "god". "
He leans closer.
"Other texts, tell of the Mzali's ruler - an Mummy they revere as a god. In in distant generations, corrupt rulership led to a decline in the city’s fortunes, but in the past century, Walkena’s return has reversed that, making it one of the greatest strongholds of Mwangi culture on the continent, in spite of the mummy-'god’s isolationism."
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A mwangi man step up after Khellek's history course. He has a backpack full of explorer's gear and wears red robes with golden stripes and dragon patterns. His round beardless face is regal and his golden eyes proof of an ancient heritage.
Greetings, Khellek, I'm D'lack Firestar, I fancy myself to be call an historian, but you're clearly a master on this field.
I'm happy to meet you all. I'm not far from here, and I hope to provide you the insight of a local.
He says with a melodious voice before adding
I'm happy to be back home.
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A man with a short cropped beard and hair nods at the dwarf's comment. "Journey into hostile territory, far from real civilization, steal some artifacts and convince an odd creature to lift a curse on our crazy guide. Sounds about right - good thing we have a walking library."
"By the way, for those who I haven't met, the name's Dupine. August Dupine."
"Well, I am basically ready to go. Wouldn't mind hitting the marketplace and grabbing some antiplague, antitoxin, and maybe some biting any repellent."
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Khellek can't help but smile when D'lack reveals himself as a fellow historian.
"My goodness, I had thought us a dying breed. When I joined the society I was led to believe it was a scholarly outfit. My experience however has been somewhat different... It has seemed more a thin surface to justify treasure hunters."
He sighs. "Which field do you specialise in?"
Turning to Bellaugh he asks "Will we be taking horses or other means of transport aboard the river boat? Are we likely to face any dangers while on board?"
"No, the Captain we booked for you water journey knows the waters and how to lie low. As for the horses, we have requisitioned any and unfortunately the boat you will be travelling has storage for such creatures."
He then sits down back behind his desk, "But first you should meet up with Stuinvolk. He will meet you at the tavern tomorrow morning to go over the mission details before you set out"
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The next morning the agents meet with Stuinvolk. When you walk in, you see a man matching the description of the man. He is a man of Ulfen descent with a noticeable tumor or growth on his neck and down to his shoulder. He wears a plain white shirt with the top opened up for comfort. "Ah, good of you to show up. Most people hear about where we are headed and back out. But you are here, so what would you like to know"
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Khellek steps forward "Mr Stuinvolk, Khellek, historian, and reluctantly experienced traveller in the Mwangi. I think we would benefit from you telling us about your experiences in your own words. "
He sighs.
"If there are some ....difficult... areas that you would like to avoid, then for the moment just let us know you are skipping a section of your tale. I would also like to know about the curse the Nuno has inflicted on you..".
The scholar points to the mans tumor. "Is that a reflection of it?"
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My field of expertise is the History of the Mwangi Expanse and the stories about Old Mage Jatembe. But I know some of the history of the End of the Azlanti Empire as I witness myself the fall of the comet that destroyed their Empire.
Says D'lack to Khellek.
Nothing in my homeplace can make me back down, Stuinvolk. I'm happy to be of help. I'm D'lack Firestar.
I agree with my comrade, anything you can share will be of help but know that you're among friends.
"The previous group I had was a competent one too. Hopefully we have a higher survival rate this time round." He stares at Khellek for a moment and says only one thing. "Mzali" Shaking his head, he continues on. "But this," pointing to the tumor. "Is the gift from the fey bastard. However, this curse will also lead us back to it,once we get by the Mzali's."
"And to do that. We will skirt the known territory. Until we find a crossing point in the river. Then we should be in the clear to use this curse to hone in on the nuno. I will warn you, it will be hot and I expect a weeks worth of travel on foot." He explains all this while tracing his finger along a crude map, that has seen better days.
Stuinvold stands and grabs a tankard, "So men, drink up, finish with whatever provisions you need and meet me tomorrow morning at the docks."
After a few days’ travel upriver, the boat transporting the PCs arrives at a makeshift dock on the east bank of the Lake of Vanished Armies. The captain points out a route marker about half a mile in the distance —a post mounted with a beaten brass sun. “That marks the edge of Mzali territory,” she says, and states that this is as far as her boat goes.
She (and Stuinvolk) say that the PCs should make their way north overland to skirt the Mzali borders as fast as possible. After the PCs finish unloading their gear and arrange a time to meet here for a return trip, the boat weighs anchor and departs.
Stuinvolk leads the PC away from the lake and along the river. Moving inland a decent pace, he keeps his head down and does not talk too much.
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Khellek walks the plains showing no real effect of the heat. "I was wondering if that ceremony would really work, but apparently it did. This is no worse than a day in Absalom!" he says quite cheerfully.
Pointing out one of the markers the scholar finds himself drawn toward it as a moth to a lantern. Only a stern look from a companion keeps him well away from the border. "I wonder if there is a religious significace to that beaten sun symbol?" he muses.
During the day he tries to get Stuinvolk to open up a bit about his venture. "So, is this the way you managed to escape? It must have been quite a relief to get away from such unplesantness. " he suggests.
Then he takes out a book and reads out loud as he wanders - extracts from the Tale of Heridious, an early explorer in these lands and some of the dangers he faced and overcame.
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As a local, D'lack don't seem to be affected by the heat
Continuing the conversation, D'lack asks. Even the main goal is not to get our hand back at the artifact, what can you tell us about this King of the Bitting Ants? What you and your companion have discovered before the incident happened?
As a local and an historian I'm always looking for stories about Old Mage Jatembe!
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Anwar happily takes the lead scouting out the environs and consulting on their route with Stuinvolk. He will range out around the party, taking advantage of his flight abilities to scout at range and get a good view of the surrounding area.
On his trips back to the group he tries to learn a little more about their travelling partner and his experiences in the Expanse.
He also happily helps out anyone who doesnt have magical protections against the heat, pointing out what they can do to protect themselves.
The days travel is somewhat uneventful, but Anwar is able to find some common ground with the cursed Ulfen. Khelleck is even able to entertain him with history and geography lessons during the journey.
Stuinvolk stops suddenly in a clearing as the sunsets beyond the horizon. With assistance from Anway, he sets up and starts a fire. After enjoying a meal of trail rations. ,Stuinvolk stares at the fire and seems to become lost in his thoughts.
Analyze
Strengths
Weaknesses
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Having spent some time during the day with Stuinvolk Anwar tries to get a better read on the man . He is also a keen student of individuals...
but today he seems to have been distracted by the amount of time he has had to spend scouting out the area.
While Stuinvolk is busy with the fire he quietly lets the others know that it might help to get him to reflect on his travel experiences.
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Naturally predisposed towards understanding his foes weaknesses, Khellek has been watching Stuinvolk during the day and trying to get a sense of what weaknesses the man might have.
"Of course there are the little known Xtabay flowers, who are reputed to have an odure so attractive as to cause men to fall asleep... and then rapidly disolve them for sustenance. The derivation of the name is of interest as it seems to have come from a variety of tribes giving an idea about where mankind first encountered these plants and where they might most likely to found."
The scholar lets the rest of the group know of the mans interest in coversing in Skald.
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Brak, ever the tactician, and never the strategist, tries to probe the man's strengths. He knows that he's a neophyte when it comes to verbal sparring.
Brak shares his insight. "I have seen things that would keep anyone awake at night. You can't fix a nightmare with vitriol and force. Let's not use weaponized words."
With a nod to accept the spell, D'Lack does his level best to play the concerned therapist, letting Stuinvolk walk through whatever will help untangle the pain into something he can leave behind. Thanks to Khellek's spell, he does it in the man's native Skald:
"I know you all are trying you best. But, lets not talk about this anymore tonight." He continues to stare at the fire, "Tomorrow, lets try and keep a low profile as we can. It be best not to draw any attention to the Mzali patrols"
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Khellek tries to engage the experienced traveller in conversation as the second day progresses. However that doesn't make his travel especially quiet.
Today he uses a tongues spell on himself to help converse with Stuinvolk.
"I'd love to hear more about your lands. I was on a mission in Irrisen a couple of years ago.." a shudder goes down the mans spine as he remembers the freezing cold.
"I've been hoping to learn a bit more of your language. Would you mind providing me some instruction, and maybe tell me about some of your own travels?"
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Dupine gets a decent night's rest, and uses the wand of endure elements again to beat the heat. Trying to not draw attention to himself, he tries to sneak through the jungle and keeps his head down.
Well, at least if he can't keep under the radar, perhaps he can chat up the poor fellow. Noticing that Skald seems to be the language of preference, August complies.
The agents make their way through the thick brush and grass of the Expanse, not as quiet as they would like to be.
"Skald is not too hard to understand. After all, we use the dwarven alphabet mixed with a few from Taldane. It does sound a bit harsh to few, but it has a natural chant like rhythm." He then continues on about the adventures he has had, but comes back to thinking of his fellows that did not make it back from the Mwangi, and he becomes less talkative.
Night on the Mwangi savanna is oddly peaceful. The temperature drops to more comfortable levels, and the night sky spreads out above like a rich tapestry of wonder. Even the humming sounds of insects are oddly comforting.
The sense of comfort ends as an ululating animal scream emanating from somewhere out in the darkness. The cry is repeated, now having moved a quarter way around the camp’s perimeter faster than it seems possible. The cry repeats a third time, now opposite where it was originally heard, and then a long, tense silence ensues. After a few moments, the sound of insects resumes, though not anywhere near as comforting as before.