Session 73
Return to Altaruk
Return to Altaruk
While on their journey, the group spotted something glimmering in the distance. As they trekked across the desolate wasteland, the relentless heat of Athas bore down upon them, distorting the barren landscape with shimmering waves. The cracked, sun-baked earth stretched endlessly, offering no respite from the harsh conditions. Just as their spirits began to wane, they noticed a faint glimmer buried in the sands ahead.
Drawing closer, they discovered an enormous glass prison, half-submerged in the scorched ground. Its surface, dulled by time, still remained intact. Inside the translucent walls, a swirling mass of water churned, glowing with an eerie, otherworldly light. The group felt a soft voice resonate in their minds, pleading with quiet strength, "Please… release me. I have been bound for centuries. Free me, and I will restore life to this forsaken land."
Shiv initially considered smashing the prison with his hammer, but the elemental warned that it might be harmed by such force. They began to dig around the prison, and Safi wildshaped into a hatori to investigate beneath the surface. Safi also attempted to dispel the magic of the prison but failed. With Karnos' knowledge of arcana, aided by Fazanna, they located an opening mechanism that Safi promptly activated.
The glass prison shattered, and the water elemental surged forth, forming a graceful, swirling vortex. It immediately began to conjure clean, crystal-clear water, filling their flasks and containers. Before departing, the elemental paused and warned them with urgency: by breaking its prison, they had drawn the attention of creatures that hunger for elemental power. The elemental slipped away, but a sense of foreboding filled the air as a distant rumble stirred beneath the sands.
Fazanna began the battle by casting haste on Shiv and activating her bladesong. As the fight commenced, an elder cragscourge erupted from the ground, flinging dirt and stone in all directions. It unleashed its defiling aura, draining the life force from those nearby, and attempted a grasp of desolation, though its stone tendrils failed to capture anyone. It then hammered Safi with two heavy blows, but Safi dodged using his beloved performer ability. Anvar diagnosed the creature, learning it had no damage immunities.
A second elder cragscourge surfaced, spreading its defiling aura. Gidewei retaliated with hellish rebuke, and the creature struck the ground, sending out a defiling tremor that siphoned life energy. It then targeted Safi with a pulverizing crush. Shiv switched places with Safi, raging and striking with his hammer, though only two hits landed despite his action surge.
A third elder cragscourge emerged, affecting the group with its aura before attempting a grasp of desolation and pulverizing crush on Fazanna, who evaded the attack with her performer ability. Shank, in a rage, broke free from the grasp and dodged all incoming strikes. A fourth and final elder cragscourge surfaced, unleashing its defiling powers but missing with its crush attack, while Shank’s coal drake, Cursy, fled in terror.
Safi summoned goraks to attack, though their efforts were largely ineffective. Karnos blasted the enemies with his crystal and aided Shiv with his master tactician ability. Gidewei struck with his rapier, adding a smite, and cast magic weapon on Shiv's hammer. Shank, standing after a fall, recklessly attacked but was struck by the enemy’s pulverizing crush three times. Fazanna activated her burst of speed and unleashed two upcast fireballs, burning the enemy.
As one cragscourge used grasp of desolation on Karnos, who became insubstantial, it followed up with a tremor and pulverizing crush on Gidewei. Anvar disengaged and used vitality boost, while Shiv used second wind to strike two hammer blows. Another cragscourge missed Shiv with its crush. Karnos, in desperation, blasted with his crystal, killing two of the creatures before using master tactician to support Shiv again.
Safi wildshaped into a hatori, attacking with his tail and bite. Shiv landed two more hammer strikes, but one enemy dropped Shiv with a pulverizing crush and targeted Safi. Shank, raging, stood again and struck a blow. The enemy hit him with grasp of desolation and a pulverizing crush. Anvar healed Gidewei, who used lay on hands to revive Shiv. Fazanna, ignoring the risks, cast another fireball, dropping both Gidewei and Karnos before using second wind to recover.
Shank recklessly struck, finally dropping the remaining cragscourges. As the battle ended, the creatures disintegrated into ash, carried away by the wind.
As the group approached Altaruk, the city felt both familiar and subtly changed. The walls, once weathered and worn, had been reinforced with new stone and timber, standing taller and more imposing than before. Heavy gates bristled with spikes, evidence of recent construction aimed at bolstering the city’s defenses.
Outside the walls, a low earthen berm surrounded the farmland, stretching across the horizon like a protective barrier. Small patrols moved methodically along its length, armed with spears and shields, their eyes scanning the area for any sign of trouble. The once peaceful expanse now felt tense, as if the land itself was preparing for conflict.
At the gate, Balican templars stood sentinel, clad in dark robes adorned with the crest of Balic. They carefully inspected every traveler who approached, their sharp eyes scrutinizing each individual. The bustling, welcoming atmosphere of Altaruk had vanished, replaced by a weighty anticipation, as if the city braced for something dark lurking just beyond the horizon.
The group decided to send Gidewei in alone, instructing him to enter without any magical items. After an hour passed without his return, they chose to follow him inside. Upon arrival, the templars quickly identified the group’s magical items, leading Safi, Shiv, and Fazanna to decline entry. Karnos, Shank, and Anvar paid their fees and entered the city. Shank and Anvar headed straight for the safehouse while Karnos began his search for Gidewei.
Outside, Safi took the remaining magical items, wildshaped into an insect, and flew over the wall toward the safehouse. Soon after, Fazanna and Shiv entered, paying the appropriate fees to gain access.
The group decided to search for their missing members. Upon reaching the headquarters, they encountered a familiar figure: Praetor Verozonious, the son of the man they had previously killed. Exercising better judgment, they opted to return to the safehouse to devise a plan.
Safi wildshaped and stealthily made his way to the prison area, where he found the two missing members chained in separate cells. After gathering this information, he returned to update the group and help formulate their escape. Later, Fazanna, Safi, and Shiv set out after curfew, sneaking past patrols in the darkness.
Safi transformed into an inconspicuous lizard, slinking through the shadows as he crept into the prison area. With nimble movements, he snatched up the prisoners' equipment, his keen eyes catching the absence of Karnos' lens—an unsettling reminder of the stakes at hand. He hurried back to the group, urgency propelling him forward.
Meanwhile, Fazanna focused her energy, teleporting in like a specter to seize Gidewei from his cell, vanishing just as swiftly before reappearing with a determined spark in her eyes. Without missing a beat, she invoked dimension door again, summoning Karnos to their side. The air crackled with tension as they prepared to return to the safety of their hideout.
But as they began their retreat, a shrill alarm bell shattered the stillness, echoing through the night like a harbinger of doom. Adrenaline surged through them, and they moved as one, darting through the shadows and evading the patrolling guards with a mix of skill and desperation. Every heartbeat felt like a countdown as they navigated the perilous path back to the safe house, each moment a testament to their resolve and cunning. Finally, they slipped inside, breathless but alive, the weight of their narrow escape settling around them like a heavy cloak.