December 10th 216B After the fight is done, the party investigates up a rock chimney after hearing sounds. There is a bound unconscious prisoner in a sack. Herunaro and Jaenelle retrieve the prisoner and the group beam back to Ipsus for more supplies. Alex realizes he forgot something significant. December 11th 216B Back in Lothia the group splits up to deal with individual business. Jaenelle speaks with the temple of Jaas and goes shopping. Alex goes off in search of a familiar. Herunaro causes havok in market: in the guise of Kiri, he buys up and destroys yet more turnips. Someone starts spellcasting at him, but is interrupted by some quickminded entrepreneur... Swiftwind asks about gods at university. Korvath has a crisis of faith, since Pelor's temple acknowledges an "Overgod" as part of Lothian state religion. (Dubbed the Lothian Heresy.) He pisses of some local Pelor priests, as usual. Jaenelle bargains with Ifox for items and equipment. Learns of a +5 cloak of resistance (Kiri-Joleth's) and puts in a bid. Spends time learning the Desmondu language (courtesy of the unconscious prisoner Desmodu's brain.) Alex shows up in the company of a unseely fairy familiar wearing black leather, skull tattoos on his wings, a spiky blue mohawk, and an attitude. He seems to like Jaenelle. After about 3 days the group has liquidated a number of assets and people have each gotten 10k in gold. (Much of which is immediately spent on new equipment). Since they cannot teleport deep into the caverns because of the magical properties of the mountain range, they have to go back to Desedrian's hall. December 14th 216B Party heads back to map hall. Desedrian is there alone. Party gives him brandy and booze while his angelic minders are not in. He seems much happier to have group visiting now that he sees them as a supply of booze and books. Party wakes "Viday" (the prisoner) and speaks to him. He relates some of the Desmodu history and seems confused by his surrondings. Viday claims to be an explorer of the underground passages; he knows Lothian and several dialects of the Desmodu, which seems unusual for the bat people. Appears highly fearful of magic users and magic. As they keep going deeper into the caverns, the group runs into a band of Desmondu bandits. Herunaro is taken down by their barrage of arrows. Jaenelle has to unleash her psychic fury to bring battle under control. One prisoner is left alive since Viday vouches for her. The others are all killed. This group was much less savvy than the previous ambushers and has only crappy equipment. Soapa (the new prisoner) says they were looking for slaves. Both the "flame brothers" and the mysterious power lurking in Charden-Dar seem to be buying slaves in considerable quantities. The last desmodu group only had two gas masks, and Soapa relates how the leaders used access to the masks as a punishment and reward system. Bandits couldn't leave the group since they could not get back to the tribes without the masks and the masks were always watched and kept under close guard by the ringleaders. December 15th 216B Party sleeps in the bandit cave above the first ambush site. During the night, one of the watches is alerted to the presence of a Desmodu invader, who seems to be a curious dragon trickster in the shape of a Desmodu. Party talks for a while but is unhappy with being disturbed at a stranger's whim to be subjected to his inscrutable humor. After a while the dragon leaves. During the day the party keeps going along the tunnels uneventfully. December 16th 216B Party sneaks around the ruined city of Charden-dar at Viday's suggestion. The two Desmodu tell the party about strange and frightening magic users in the city. Something trails the group, but no sign can be found. Party suspect the dragon. A divination reveals that the dragon will not be harmful to the party, so they choose to ignore the stalker. Something approaches the camp at night, but besides waking Smoke (the dog/horse) no one is really disturbed. December 17th 216B Party approaches homeland of the Desmodu. Smoke is bagged for the 6 mile trek through the poisonous gasses given off by the lava to the south, and the rest of the party wear gas masks. Party gets to the bridge over the lava rift. SESSION END evening of December 17th 216B NEXT TIME : Enclave of the Desmodu EXPERIENCE TOTALS (Session 40) ----------------- Korvath Alex Herunaro Swiftwind Jaenelle Murgen 83991 83059 83369 84433 84244 41426