34 - Panic in Malar's Throat

Zitembe questions (4 left)

Temple smells of smoke. Head priest is nowhere in evidence. Followers say he's not available he had a bit of a stroke the previous night. September stumbles out though at the player's voices and waves them over. It appears he is currently blind. I'm glad you could make it your questions stirred up tidings of such evil that they laid me low but I can still speak and will be better once I prepare the right spells. Now was the race as I predicted? Today I would know the winners? I am glad to say I know you all. Before we start though there is a bit of unpleasant business I have been asked to attend to by a prince of the city. I have been asked to question you regarding your meeting with Kvothe in front of witnesses while in our church's zone of truth. Are you willing to testify?

Several figures are escorted in and folks quickly realize they are in front of 6 of the seven princes. Several of whom seem upset to have been called as witnesses when they had lots of other business before them.

• Ekene-Afa - gladiator

• Ifan Tal'roa - looking enviously at seraph

• Jessamine - heavily robed. Walking like ancient.

• Jobal - weathered face lean and muscular

• Wakanga - fancy robes

• Zhanthi - dressed in Chuthian wrap of impeccable quality. Holds herself with impeccable posture and granduer.

- Briefly tell of your experience in her estate.

- You say that she was consorting with demons or devils. What proof do you have that they are devils?

- Describe her request regarding Shugo.

Now that that unpleasant business is done please gather around and Don't be quiet for I cannot see you and thus I will tell a tale and the style of old with call and response. Are you ready for my telling? We will let the prince's go and take care of their business elsewhere but I promised you a telling and I am prepared to give it. But for the question regarding Fort Bellarian I think perhaps they should know the answer before they depart because it affects the city.

4. What is the truth about rumors of corruption in fort Beluarion

- There are whispers in the wind between sharks in the water and pyre burning on the hill. While the sharks never gather by the pyre they see and hear the conversations from afar. Someone is whispering to the waves and the waves wash valuable wreckage up near the whisperer. This is what I saw, do you hear?

3. how can we best secure Azaka's mask from the pterrafolk?

- Pterrafolk begged by prisoner gives them all his loot and begs for his life. If he gives them everything they will let him go unharmed. He tells them everything and they lift him off the peak and then let him go from 600 feet up while the other Pterrafolk laugh. This is what I saw, do you too witness this is the truth?

2. how best to approach ending the curse?

- The pull of that contraption in Omu almost ripped out my soul It was that which blinded me but I'm getting ahead of myself. My god can not look upon those ruins anymore. And I am afraid my knowledge of where omu lays is now missing. In fact it is like a god is working to actively conceal what is happening there but more on that when I get to the start of the curse. Just know that somehow a bunch of bookworms got into our archives and a fire started last night during out ritual and the Omu section of our archives was burnt almost completely. All I know that it's there that the answers will lie It is clear as the darkness that currently blots my view. Are you ready for my final tale?

1. what's a likely event connected to the start of the curse being felt?

Inete please bring the book that was saved. This book was in the nursery being read two children in our care and is the only book on omo that survived The Purge yet my vision told me that this was the book that would be needed so I'm guessing there was a bit of foresight in this election of this book as bedtime reading. Annette could you please read for my eyes fail me and my memory is not that sharp.

History: (Children's book the fall of Omu)

• Ubtao Saw the bloodshed caused by humans, his servants. He turned his back and left Chult in disgust. The city fell into chaos for the country was given unto his children the dinosaurs which now prowl this world from coast to coast.

- when the god Ubtao hardened his heart and vowed to weep for the people of Omu no longer. The rains stopped, the jungle withered and died, and death swept through Omu.

- One morning, a wise zorbo emerged from her hollow tree and spoke to the dying Omuans. To convince Ubtao of their worth, she decided to cook him a stew made from all their good qualities. Catching such virtues wouldn't be easy, so she asked a wily almiraj to help her. The almiraj snuck recklessness in the pot, which she saw as a virtue, and Ubtao spat out the stew when he tasted it. From that day on, Obo'laka the zorbo and I'jin the almiraj became terrible enemies.

- At noon, a brave kamadan hopped down from her rock. She saw the evil in the Omuans' hearts and decided to lance it like a troublesome boil. The kamadan fashioned a holy spear, but she left it by the riverbank and a crafty grung stole it. In her rage, Shagambi the kamadan forgot all about the Omuans and chased Nangnang the grung forever across the sky.

- When evening came, a wily eblis stepped from his reed hut. He didn't like the Omuans, but without them he'd have no one to play his tricks on. The eblis sent a marsh frog to reason with Ubtao, but the frog was angry and decided to wrestle the god instead. This amused Ubtao, so he gave the frog tentacles to make it stronger. When Kubazan the froghemoth returned to Papazotl the eblis, he chased Papazotl into the swamp with his new tentacles.

- That night, a su-monster broke into Ubtao's palace and stole a pail of water for the Omuans. When the god came running to find it, the su-monster hid the pail in a jaculi's burrow. Ubtao asked the jungle animals where his water was hidden, and Moa the jaculi was too honest to lie. When Wongo the su-monster found out how Moa had betrayed him, he vowed to catch the jaculi and eat him up.

- All the while, Unkh the flail snail lived deep under the earth. The noise of the other animals fighting made her slither up to the surface, and when day dawned over her shell, the light blinded Ubtao and made his eyes water. Thus life returned to Omu, and the people built shrines to honor the animals who'd saved them. (Close book)

Zitembe says there are a few things I know that came after that.

• The spirits built shrines that tested the mettle of their followers and were worshiped in Omu but the faith never spread to the rest of Chult.

• 100 years ago, A powerfol figure showed up and destroyed these trickster gods and enslaved their followers. From this day on no one heard much of Omu and people who went to visit did not return.

• 50 years ago, the yuan-ti snake people were known to have built a temple to their profane gods in the city.

When heading back to the inn to get your stuff with Inete escorting you. (She is no longer interested in Celadon after learning he was older than her "grandfather" The group hear bells ringing and horns sounding from Malar's throat. There seem to be a lot of people rushing from that direction and do you hear people crying out to one another and searching for friends or relatives.

Is you get closer to the end you find a tide of people trying to push through the gates while guards are steadily trying to push the gates closed against the flow the panicked citizens streaming into the city - some of them bearing wounds. The guards using pulleys and dinosaurs are slowly succeeding while numerous people remain bottled up in the other side screaming for succour. upon seeing you some of those on the other side start calling out "it's the champion! it's all the racers! Celadon, Freya, Kylorin have all come to our aid! Get them to let us in!"

Using their reputation the group gets the gates opened and people let into the city as the party goes out to neutralize the threat.

Entering the marketplace beyond the gate you see chaos. Tents are collapsed, people huddle near the relative safety near the gate or in dark corners hoping to remain unseen by whatever unseen dangers lurk nearby. From hear the sounds of the guards blowing their horns are drowned out as West and somewhat to the north is the sound of a church bell tolling endlessly. Screams and groans come ahead with some sounds of battle and breaking bones. They find the bazaar overrun with undead and Seraph reports that Derrick the ex pirate is heroicly holding the gates of the temple of Kasisi as villagers escape to safety inside but more undead are coming from the jungle and going to over run his position shortly. Eddie whips out a rolling ball of flame to light teh groups way and the party starts a rolling battle to cross Malar's throat. Freya and Kylorin hew their way through enemies while Linda shows off his new mobility and damage. Celadon spend's a lot of time making his cloak billow and impressing random villagers by standing in beams of moonlight to pose heroically. Meanwhile Kylorin is down and dirty with the ghoul that has already by softened with arrows and spells. Kylorin calls on the great dragon and the pyre of light illuminates the entire bazaar showing the party Derrick turning to drive a skeleton out of the temple gets blindsided by a zombie and knocked to the ground.

The party forces their way over but not before he gets surrounds. Undril comes out and buys the party some time by calling up a swirling set of angelic lights that shread the undead in her vicinity. The party slay their way over to the temple cutting down the ghoul and most of the toughest minions. But before the party can relax a the dead villagers rise as another swarm of undead and the party needs to destroy them as well. Finally victorious Celadon ensures that Derrick survives and the group makes him the focus of the glory for holding the temple door through the assault. He seems taken back at all the praise for saving folks and the party see self esteem kindle in his eyes. The temple lost its layman priestess but he swears to keep the doors open for the people of Malar's throat.

The party returns to their in room and gather their things for the journey to fort Beluarian. On the trip the sending stone ritual failed yet again but Eddie does figure out how to get it to repeat the most recent message. Celadon is a bit impatient watching Eddie blunder his way through the ritual stumbling over steps that he had already worked out. Captian Ortimay offered the group his room but without Master Silvane the party can not fit into that room. Ortimay has the brazen pegasus travel all night with most of the crew sleeping on deck due to the heat meanwhile downstairs in a hammock Kylorin was attacked at night by a hag of some sort who pulled off a bit of her skin. Seraph was appologetic in that after teh excitement in Malar's throat she dozed off when she meant to keep watch.

Extreme heat during next day as well. The boat pulls in near the Fort landing only to find that rowboats shuttle goods form the harbor and that boats are not allowed inside. While waiting their turn they see a group of lizard men swimming through the waters around some of the ships including a shaman or shifter of some sort (who changes into an alligator). While distracted by the lizard men the group is surprised as a Pterrafolk swoop down on a nearby ship and grab a barrel and a ship lantern which they use to douse the ship with oil from outside crossbow range. Lindal and Bonnie take shots at the Pterrafolk and bonnie hits soundly causing the lantern to be dropped into the ocean and ruining the Pterrafolk's fun.

Inspiration

None added

Defeated

• Ghoul 200/each

• 8 fragile skeletons 25/each

• 4 weak zombies 25/each

• 4 zombies. 50/each

The party earned 500 xp with 1 allies (72 each => 1299 cumulative)

Treasure

• Adulation of the crowds of Port Nyanzaru

Companions (not present):

• Captain and Crew of the Brazen pegasus

  • Captain Ortimay

  • First Mate Grigg

  • Bonnie "Sky Turtle" Skytle

• Seraph - a Psuedodragon traveling companion and his horde of 3 gp and 3 sp

• Undril Silvertusk - A Lightbringer and member of the Order of the Gauntlet bringing relief supplies to Camp Righteousness.

• Derrick - former pirate now sworn to Kasisi as temple guardian

• Lenny - imp with a troubled history with the party

• Azoka Stormfang - aggressive Chultan guide with a fierce relation with Celadon. Party promised to leave with her in seven days.

• Hew Hackenstone - tough as the legend would have you believe.