======== Resting at Croc shrine ========
The party rests in the relative protection of Croc's former shrine. The place is still hallowed with silence which means it it safe from celestial, fiend and fae creatures.
While there Kylorin has a dream that she is held in the dragons jaws It is gentle and nurturing The presence soothing She feels protected and at peace with the world. The great dragon is with you. Nothing can hurt you here. You feel Seraph watchful stir on your shoulder but are certain that while Seraph guards your body the dragon guards your soul. Even from dangers you are not aware of. Rest little dragon you have done well and teh days to come will be challenging indeed. You will need your wits around you for the city is a place many souls have perished.
During the night Salindra and Freya hardly speak.
======== Approaching the City ========
Two main routes lead into Omu. To the northeast, a river snakes down from the foothills of the Peaks of Flame and flushes into the city through a canyon. The second access point is a staircase to the southwest. The party go first to the waterfall. Lindal scouts the fall with Eddie's familiar keeping an eye on him.
The jungle parts to reveal a dead city enclosed by sheer cliffs. Ruined buildings and stone boulevards rise like ghosts from the floor of the misty basin. Colorful birds glide overhead.
A waterfall pours into the basin, creating a swollen river that floods much of the city before draining into a deep rift filled with molten lava. A ruined palace lies a few hundred feet from the edge of the steaming abyss.
The cliffs surrounding Omu are 100–150 feet high and composed of crumbling rock. Thick jungle hugs the clifftops, with ferns, orchids, and moss spilling over the edges. Every 100 feet or so, a statue perches on the brink of the precipice.
A river courses through a rocky ravine that descends towards the city before plunging 50 feet into a 30-foot-deep pool. A creature that goes over the waterfall would 12 (5d4) bludgeoning damage on a failed save, or no damage on a successful one. There is no safe path from the top of the waterfall to the city below. Eddie planned on feather falling the group and jumping off the falls.
======== Lindal's Vision of the Past ========
Croc climbs on Lindal's shoulder as he gets to the edge of the waterfall and looks out across the city. What he sees is a vision of Omu's fall.
A city of magnificent, whitewashed buildings stretches out before him. Sunlight sparkles off of glass domes and windows, as a river runs through the city and unlike today the city is not sunken into the earth. Yet even back in these times of plenty all is not well. Black smoke coils from fires across the city, corpses litter the streets, and crows and vultures circle the rooftops. A ornate temple in the south of the city shatters and a sphere of utter darkness grows out from the building soon engulfing the south eastern corner of the city, blotting out the light as it expands. Buildings crumble into ash, people scream and try to run as the sphere of destruction swells toward you. You turn away instinctively, and when you look back, the darkness is gone. But the city is now a sunken wreck. Where it was once radiating wealth and power now there are dozens of temple dotting the sunken city. The souther quarter is destitute but even there temples dot the slums but over time the city collapses in on itself becoming a half-flooded, overgrown ruin. Weeks or years later a rain of meteors from the sky falls upon the southern section of the city and the area collapses into a seething lake of molten rock except for one temple that gleams with magic defenses and remains standing despite the onslaught that crumbles the earth away all around it. The this point the city's fall is quick. Long chains of enslaved citizens slaving away soon changing again to smoke and bodies in the streets. Then snakes slithering from the jungle into the city and finally a presence like none you have ever felt before enters the city. A brief glimpse of a skeletal figure with eyes like burning points of light walks into the city and the temples crumble into ruin as he passes. At some point in his journey he looks up at you on the cliff and gestures carelessly in your direction and the vision is ripped away and you feel your eyes swelling like they will burst from the magical force now enveloping you (DC 23 CON or lose your eyes)
Lindal shakes off the magical attack and the group decide they do not want to enter that way after talking with Salindra for a bit walking aorunt to the staircase to the south instead.
======== Prowling the Perimeter ========
While skirting the city they get a look at a number of the vine-draped statues perches on the clifftop, staring down at the ruined city. Many of them have the face of a devils with their mouth agape in a silent scream.
The group catch sight of king of feathers prowling the northern part fo the city knocking down buildings to get at its targets inside.
Finally the party descend into the city and on the descent they are ambushed by gargoyles hidden among the statues on the cliff's edge.
Gargoyle attack as the group start to climb down a ladder into the city. two gargoyles carry a net between them which they use to catch Eddie and carry him away before the fight begins. The gargoyles hoist Eddie into the air and fly off with their catch and dump him 100 fee tot the ground. The gargoyles flee once reduced to half their number having killed one of the party. (Eddie pretended to die from the fall)
======== Vegepygmie Ritual ========
The party search some buildings and rest a bit to recover from the gargoyle fight. (Mostly from Freya's mount fireballing them to heal itself after an attack).
While scouting the city they see a band of vegipygmie preparing a ritual sacrifice of a humanoid of some sort. The group decide to intervien
They destroy the Vegipygmies and return to a nearby house to recover and cast a comprehend languages spell. The grung whom they saved claims to be kings son and says the group will be richly rewarded for saving him.
The party then proceed to guide him across the city stopping as they pass a shrine.
Croc says "Ah Shagambi, a Goody two shoes like your friend there. Always thwacking someone on the head for mischief. Totally ruthless when wronged. Heck, they beat the hell out of me a few times but they do a good job keeping the nastier elements in line." Lindal scouts around the temple only to see some sort of giant Jaguar with snakes growing out of its back is prowling towards the party. He tried to warn folks but the kamadan pounce on lindal as he tries to get back - the party makes pretty short work of the pair of kamadans which are apparently temple guardians.
The party then struggle with the doors to the temple but finally with both Freya and Kylorin working together they are able to open them.
Inspiration
Kylorin - not hesitating to save someone from ritual sacrifice
Experience (challenge based) 1500 Individual => 23231 cumulative (7th level - pending long rest or plot event)
Gargoyles - (medium/easy) 450
Vegepygmies - (trivial) 100
Kamadan - (medium/easy) 450
Challenge based XP notes from - https://dmdavid.com/tag/using-experience-points-to-make-your-dd-game-more-compelling/
Allies
Seraph
Lava chicken
Salindra - guide
Imbok - grung grandson of chieftain Yorb
Treasure
None