The collapsed tower is thoroughly ruined, and you are unable to find anything of interest in the rubble. You fall back to rest, resuming your exploration the next day.
An awning of wood and stone which has somehow withstood the long years shelters this long exterior wall from the elements, protecting the mural it holds. This mural depicts several humans growing billowing, cumulous wings and taking flight above a spired city. A gap in the wall obscures part of the mural’s narrative.
You realize that the city depicted is Bloodsalt, and the people must be the "Dragon-Speakers" of popular local lore. The people first gain their wings near an egg-shaped building.
Tumbled stone interrupts the mural and obscures the ultimate destination of the depicted Dragon-Speakers. Packed silt 3 feet deep covers the floor of the darkened room beyond. A single arm bearing a gleaming gold bracelet juts up from the silt.
The arm twitches away from the ray of frost, avoiding the strike. All of a sudden, the silt shifts as a horrible amalgamation of mummified bodies rises up to attack!
"You don't have to tell me twice!" Sadiki says. She hangs back and fires a chromatic ray!
Both rays miss the hulking undead. It lumbers forward, bringing you within range of its breath of silt, and swings at Issi, pummeling her!
Issi slices the mummy and Sadiki batters it with pressurized water. Undeterred, it continues to swing on Issi, but she avoids its attacks.
Issi slashes and strikes, and the amalgamation falls!
The amalgamation wears jewelry worth 55 gp and a polished gold bracelet etched with draconic runes. The bracelet is a cloud dragon rune bracelet reading “Hatchery Attendant” in flowing Draconic script.
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"I knew all those lessons in draconic would come in handy one day!" Issi says in delight, examining the bracelet. "'Hatchery attendent, eh? I think this is going to be a very interesting building to investigate further. Let's do a quick walk around to make sure there's nothing else lurking nearby and then get the students in."
Circling the building, you spot another large building nearby. This massive, circular building has a mosaic running entirely around it. The mosaic depicts a cloudy sky that makes the entire building appear as if it’s floating. Writing in flowing Draconic script circles the building and reads, “Defend to the death those who defend us.” The building has resisted the wear and staining of other buildings in Bloodsalt. It appears similar to the egg-shaped building in the mural you saw earlier.
Looking closely, you see several names in Draconic hidden amid the cloud mosaics, along with dates. The most recent, with a date that began two centuries ago and has no end, is “Ixamè.” That mosaic piece is loose and can be carefully removed.
There’s no obvious entry to this building, but a pair of thin, vertical lines run through the mosaic that indicate the presence of a door. There are no handles or latches to open it. However, as you draw near, the cloud dragon rune bracelet resonates with a chime, and the heavy door grinds open...
This massive room was once beautifully decorated, most of the walls have been destroyed, revealing bare stone behind them. A huge dragon lies still in the center of the room, as though dead, curled around three petrified dragon eggs. Her body bears many grievous wounds. She rouses when you approach though, disoriented but not immediately hostile. She looks quizzically at you and asks, “Who am I? What is this lair? Am I protector, poisoner, killer?”
AUDITORY CONCENTRATE EXPLORATION LINGUISTIC MENTAL
You present evidence of Ixamè’s role in Bloodsalt and remind the cloud dragon of her past. Attempt a DC 24 Arcana or Diplomacy check.
Critical Success: Ixamè’s memories come back in a wave and she becomes lost within them. She is stupefied 2, which is cumulative with other stupefied conditions from this action. When she reaches stupefied 3, the challenge is successful.
Success: As critical success, but stupefied 1.
Failure: Your attempts to invoke Ixamè’s memories only enrage her. Treat any future failure at this action as a critical failure instead.
Critical Failure: Ixamè’s mind is utterly overcome with grief and fury. She loses any stupefied condition and attacks immediately.
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"You are Ixamè, hatchery attendent and protector of the dragons of Bloodsalt." Issi says, dredging up her knowledge of spoken draconic and doing her best to use all the correct hisses.
"Behold this bracelet that shows your rank and the mural we found outside that gives your name and your long presence here. Behold the eggs which you still guard even now and remember your purpose, as protector. You are grievously wounded but we would help you, if you permit it."
"Help? No... I am beyond help... I tried my best. They sealed the doors and told me to wait, but nobody came. After several days, I opened the doors, and the poison seeped inside. The eggs... I had doomed them... I would have died then as well, were it not for my grief and rage sustaining me...
"But now... I have lingered too long... I go now to my long-delayed rest..."
Ixamè lies down and gives a heavy sigh, her final breath. She dies, this time for good. Her eyes shrivel in her skull and roll to the floor as sky-blue gems. Each is an Ixamè's eye.
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"Well that was... odd."
Issi carefully collects the gems and spends a few minutes considering them. "We should wear these, they have some sort of effect based on seeing through mist and fog I think." She says. "Well, we have quite the story to get to work on now. Let's not tell the students what's in here. See how surprised they are!"
"Ew," Sadiki says as she examines the crystalline eye. "These are talismans, so only one use. Still, handy in a pinch, I guess."
***
You explore the rest of this area of Bloodsalt, destroying several more bog mummies and gathering some treasure from inside an old shop.
Now that you have overcome the dangers of the region, the students waste no time in setting up the encampment to begin their study of the ruins of Bloodsalt!
Though the occasional release of the poisonous gas called Dead Man’s Breath poses a constant danger to those who travel through the ruins of Bloodsalt, the students and the heroes all receive advance warning from the tarnishing on their silver charms. There’s plenty of time to vacate the ruins to someplace safer. After only a few days away from the ruins—which the students celebrate as arbitrary yet mandatory time off—the heroes and their students can return to pick up their research where they left off. The gas might affect activities on a day-to-day basis, but it doesn’t impact these month-long downtime activities.
I’boko would prefer to help her village rebuild, but she feels comfortable investigating the ruins with the other students if the heroes advise it.
You carefully explore the ruins of Bloodsalt with your students, pointing out archaeological evidence your branch would find most interesting. Choose either your primary or secondary branch, and attempt a skill check against a standard DC of the branch’s level. You can use Diplomacy or one of the branch’s associated skills for this check. This activity takes 1 month.
Critical Success: An amazing discovery! You find previously unseen evidence regarding Bloodsalt’s vanished residents that’s certain to bring renown to you and your students. You gain access to the Bloodsalt Dragon Disciple archetype feats. Increase the branch level of the branch you chose by 2.
Success: The evidence you uncover is interesting and your students learn much from your instruction. Increase the branch level of the branch you chose by 1.
Failure: You’re unable to uncover much of interest. Your branch level remains the same.
Critical Failure: You or your students damage the ruins in a way that makes future examination more difficult. You must skip your next month of downtime repairing the damage and can’t perform this activity or Rebuild Kiutu during that month.
Critical Success: You restore some of the village’s buildings and, more importantly, the villagers’ confidence in their ability to thrive despite the attacks. You gain 1 Restoration Point, and all skill checks to Rebuild Kiutu in the next month have a +1 circumstance bonus.
Success: Your work to restore the village is solid. You gain 1 Restoration Point.
Failure: You don’t aid Kiutu much with your work, but the villagers appreciate that you tried.
Critical Failure: You inadvertently undermine a foundation stone, flood part of the village, or collapse part of a defensive wall. You lose 1 Restoration Point (to a minimum of 0).
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Issi spends the first month in Bloodsalt, focusing on her students and their work in the ruins. She focuses particularly on what she can establish about the draconic people of Bloodsalt and their combative nature, combining her own knowledge of historical conflicts in the region to establish a new basis to consider the city.
With some useful information that will assure her continued standing in the Tempest Sun Mages Issi then turns her attention to Kiutu, leaving more of the research and excavation to the command of Mariama and Sadiki.
Building is not her strong point, and it shows, but her hard work and good cheer contribute something to the effort none-the-less.
With her Emerald Boughs training maxed out, Sadiki focuses on bringing up her studies with the Rain-Scribes. After two months, she has reached the limits of what she can learn here.
She spends the third month helping with the rebuilding of Kiutu!
Three months pass as you research and rebuild. One morning, just after dawn, an exhausted young man stumbles into the camp, plainly worn out from running through the prior day and all through the night. “The Knights have returned to Kiutu! They’re taking people this time—they took Kolnoku!” His frantic message delivered, the young man collapses.
"Father! No!" I'boko cries. The young dwarf is the first to leave the camp, running for Kiutu as quickly as she can!
Evidence of the recent attack on Kiutu is obvious. Dozens of people are missing, kidnapped by the Knights of Abendego; in a village of only 200, the loss is devastating. With your help and expertise in rebuilding the town, though, Kiutu was in better shape than it had been in years. Although there are a few dead and many wounded, more than a hundred people remain in Kiutu.
The villagers ask you to help tend the wounded and lay the dead to rest. This takes only a few hours. The Knights made no effort to hide their tracks or disguise their movements. You can begin your pursuit when you are ready.
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Issi growls when she sees the damage the knights have wrought.
"We follow them, strike from the shadows and show no mercy." She declares angrily. "I don't care if it takes weeks. We're getting these people back!"
Common sense prevails however and she instructs Ignaci and Mariama to bring the students into the village and focus on the defense and rebuilding of the settlement until she and Sadiki return with the missing villagers.
Ancient runes and scarlike crevices dot the lush savanna of the Mugumo Plains. An incredible variety of life call these plains home, but the best known are the plentiful mugumo fig trees that give the region its name.
You follow the trail left by the Knights of Abendego. Just a few hours outside of Kiutu, you come upon an old capmsite. The camp doesn’t have any useful gear, just a hastily made fire ring filled with ashes and plenty of abandoned food and other refuse. Examination of the campsite reveals that there were around 20 Knights camped here. There’s also evidence of a site where dozens of people were all tied together and lashed to a thick, stunted tree. Amid the refuse is a pouch with 65 gp that one of the Knights accidentally left behind.
You continue on. After another two days, you come across the obvious aftermath of a skirmish. There are two dead Knights of Abendego and five dead iruxis on churned ground stained with blood and pockmarked with boot and claw prints. At the center of the chaos, a third dead Knight is propped up in her half plate armor, a trio of spears sticking through her body and keeping the corpse upright.
As Issi approaches the corpse, the woman's eyes suddenly flick over to the magus! The corpse's flesh and blood dissolve away in sparks of electricity to reveal gray bone beneath. She steps easily out of the spears that impaled her and attacks!
The undead knight unleashes a blast of electricity before moving to close the distance to Issi!
"I don't think electricity is the answer here!" Sadiki shouts, teeth gritted against the pain. She sends a cone of cold at the undead knight!
Completely evading the cone of cold, the graveknight impales Issi with her electrified trident! Sadiki's intervention saves her from a devastating hit though.
Sadiki rushes to Issi's side to heal her, laying on hands.
The graveknight takes the hit from Issi and strikes back.
Sadiki misses with her water blast. Issi's strike badly damage the undead knight, but she stabs the magus thrice! The fire burns her and gutters out.
Issi's mighty strikes lay the undead knight low! She falls and lies still.
Examining the dead iruxis, you realize that the lizardfolk belong to a group known as the Terwa Lords. The Terwa Lords are aggressive and expansionist, but value honesty and openness. They bear grudges, and losing a battle like this isn’t something they’d likely forget or forgive.
The undead knight has a +1 breastplate. One of the dead iruxis carries a scroll of 4th-level clawsong, a scroll of 6th-level Girzanje’s march, armbands of athleticism, and a round stone etched with markings to indicate the iruxi's hatching date. This small stone is worth 5 gp.
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"So the Terwa Lords might be allies if we can get close enough to them to actually speak to them." Issi suggests, wincing as Sadiki closes her wounds. "I'd say we should look for them, but that might mean losing the knights trail. Let's press on and hopefully the Terwa Lords will find us finding them..."
After healing up, you continue along the trail. A few miles later, you come upon a small camp along the trail. The camp consists of four temporary huts woven from tall grasses. A handful of iruxis mill about, all well-armed and attentive.
Two iruxis move to interpose themselves between you and the camp. A taller iruxi with old battle scars crossing over her chest and shoulders approaches from behind these guards, appraising you with the eyes of a seasoned veteran. “State your names and intentions. If you intend to do us harm, we will kill you. If you lie to me, we will kill you.”
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"Issi Flamehair and Sadiki Silvertongue. We are Lore-Speakers of the Magaambya, pursuing the Knights of Abendego." Issi says, holding her hands wide and non-threatening. "We are seeking to rescue the villagers of Kiutu, who the knights have kidnapped."
She looks around. "We encountered some of your fallen kin. You are welcome to their effects." She holds out the hatching stone slowly as a proof of good faith.
The iruxi orders the guards to stand down. She tenderly takes the hatching stone and stores it in her pouch. "Thank you. I will return this to the fallen's family. You may keep the other gear.
"I am Scout Leader Ssaraku Akai of the Terwa Lords. Our confrontration with the Knights was not intended. Our two groups happened to cross paths, and they attacked us first. We fought well, but we were forced to retreat. We intend to find them and repay them for those of us who were wounded or killed."
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"It is a pleasure to meet you Scout Leader Akai. If you will permit it we would travel with you to confront the Knights. It seems that our goals are aligned at this point and if we hunt together we are that much more likely to return in triumph. I have some skill with destructive magic and my sister is a capable healer. If you still have injured we may be able to help them." Issi offers, trying to get the Terwa Lords on side. Help would be valuable when facing down a group as large as the knights.
"Yes, we would be grateful for any healing you can spare," Ssaraku says.
Sadiki tends to the wounded iruxi, then Ssaraku invites you to share a meal with them. The scout leader is quiet at first, but eventually, she starts to tell a little about herself. She’s confident that she is the strongest scout leader among the Terwa Lords, but doesn’t believe she will ever rise higher in the ranks as her place is on the fringes of the Terwa Lords’ territory. She wants more for her child, however, and believes an education at the Magaambya would be the best way to prepare them for a higher leadership position than Ssaraku could ever obtain.
In exchange for your promise to admit her child Ssarazul to the Magaambya, Ssaraku promises to come back after completing her current mission (about which she says nothing) and help you face the Knights of Abendego. She can’t promise when that will be, as she’s unsure how long her current mission will take, but she gives her word.
This offer places you in a somewhat difficult position. While you do technically have the power to endorse a new student, it’s exceedingly rare for a lore-speaker to do so this early in their teaching career. An endorsement is also not a guarantee; the final determination must be made by an impartial faculty member. If you endorse a student who doesn’t have the necessary skills, it reflects poorly on your judgment.
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"How long will your mission take, do you think?" Issi asks. "I am not keen on giving up the hunt now we have come this far. In addition I would like to meet Sarazul and perform a few tests. While we can recommend a student to the faculty we are expected to test them first. Where and when is the best time for that?"
"I cannot say how long the mission will take, but I will join you as soon as I able. As for the best place and time to evaluate my child, that would be here and now," Ssaraku says.
Ssarazul is currently on the other side of the camp. They’ve grown bored following their mother around on raids and scouting missions; the Magaambya sounds like an exciting place to learn more about their natural abilities and find out how they can contribute to the world. Ssarazul is honest about their abilities, showing you their innate primal magic and answering any questions about their knowledge, competence, and attitude that the heroes wish to pose. It's not difficult to see that Ssazrazul is more skilled than you were upon your own addition to the Magaambya.
"Yes! Thank you!" Ssarazul shouts excitedly. Ssaraku wastes no time. She has Ssarazul pack and set out for Bloodsalt right away. She offers you a shock rune on a runestone as further thanks as well.
***
After resting in the iruxi camp, you continue along the trail of the Knights. After a few more days, you come upon a site of interest. Neat rows of baobab trees hint that this area was once cultivated as an orchard, though the laden trees and overgrown path hint that it hasn’t been tended in a season or longer. From deeper in, a gurgling cry of pain echoes down the twisting path.
Past the baobab trees are a group of three buildings. The wide porch of a farmhouse looks out on an overgrown yard. The roof of the porch has partially collapsed, putting the front door of the farmhouse into deep shadow. An old wooden shed stands apart from the main farmhouse. It’s made of scrap wood and is in much worse shape than the farmhouse, sagging slightly to one side. Posts that likely once supported a wooden fence extend to the west and south, with weeds growing up between them. The shed’s only door is barred closed from the outside with a broken fence post. Across from the farmhouse and shed stands a cavernous barn, sturdy despite obvious neglect.
The air inside the barn reeks of swamp water and rot, and swamp plants grow in profusion despite the dimness.
A massive, three-eyed froglike monstrosity lurks within the barn. Upon spotting you, it croaks angrily and prepares to attack!
The creature quickly lashes out with its long tongue, battering Sadiki and grabbing a hold of her. She screams as it yanks her off of her feet and towards its gaping maw, swallowing the sorceress in one big gulp!
Before Sadiki even know what is happening, she is pulled into the frog-thing's slimy gullet. She screams silently as she slips down towards its stomach, getting crushed. She manages to lay hands on herself to try to stave off her injuries as she struggles feebly to escape.
***
The monster croaks as Issi strikes it. It tries to chomp down on her, but she dodges its jaws!