guests of the ekujae
Breachill, Isger; Lamashan 1, 4719 AR
The Guardians were hard at work on Citadel Altaerein for the past several weeks. New walls were being erected, trash was being hauled away, and furnishings reconstructed. Yet still the Huntergate from the basement remained dormant. The fear that it could open and a new threat would come forth remained in the back of their minds.
Yet not all dangers were to come from within. Only one day earlier, Uhn was given a message from Grix Brokentooth: "Chieftain Fim sends her thanks for conquering these lands for the Scalehoarders. Her army grows by the day and she looks forward to subjugating the humans of Breachill. She already commands many of the disparate tribes in the Chitterwood." Uhn's response was typical for the barbarian, his wild blows sending the messengers riding away with all haste.
The morning was one of bored curiosity, as the monthly Call For Heroes was held once more. The city hall was still not fully rebuilt, so the session was held in temporary quarters at the Wizard's Grace once more. A growing concern in town was the work of a small bandit who was stealing various alchemical goods, leaving a calling card of tanglefoot bags, acids, and smokesticks to cover his deeds. Rumors were abuzz that Viggo ad Uhn were working in tandem, abusing their position as local heroes to get away with such brazen thefts. The rumors were quelched with a swift rap of Greta Gardania's gavel, who assigned the Black Lanterns to hunting down the thief.
The topic turned to the towns fear of demons returning from Citadel Altaerein. They had fortunately dodged a horrible fate with the arrival of the Guardians, but what would happen if a larger force came to town? Would the Guardians survive that battle, too? While Viggo, Wrin, and Uhn tried to assure everyone that they were more than up for the challenge, it was the arrival of Renali to the meeting that set minds at ease. "We can settle this matter," she murmured in her heavily accented tongue. "It is better to get to the root of this."
Not long later they stood in front of Huntergate. The cavorting birds and shifting phases of the moon seemed almost alive as Viggo studied the stonework. "Well, yeah," he grumbled, "I could fix it, I guess." He went to work while Renali waited eagerly to see her homeland. There was a sudden explosion of orange flame that danced along the half-elf's body as he fell to the ground in shock. He struggled to pull himself to his feet, but the gate was open. What was once a stone wall had dissolved into a golden mist that churned with endless possibility.
After a short discussion, it was Uhn who stepped through first. Beyond the aiudara was a massive lava tube. The floors and ceiling were made of cooled magma, though cracks in the surface showed lava and flames not far beneath the surface. At the far end of the tunnel was a second gate, sealed similarly to Huntergate. As the rest of the group entered after Uhn, they stared at the wide expanse between them. Something felt... off. This feeling was reinforced when Inagra felt the presence of great evil suffusing the area.
Uhn stepped forward cautiously, worried about what this realm could hide. In a flash, the heat and smoke of this room coalesced into a magnificent dragon of fire. It spoke not a word, but instead let loose a storm of flames onto the gathered heroes. They ducked and dove for cover, but there was no escape from the onslaught. Uhn lashed out with Choppy, attempting to destroy the beast of fire, but to no avail. Viggo's frost bombs seemed to smother the flames, but they were making no progress while their skin sizzled. Inagra called out for the group to retreat back through Huntergate so they could regroup.
On the other side, the Guardians considered their options while the dwarf tended to their burns. Viggo's explosives seemed to work quite well against the dragon, so he needed time to craft up enough for everyone. Everyone took the day off, while Renali paced anxiously, waiting for the path to her homeland to be open once more.
The next day, the group prepared to execute their plan. Inagra chanted protections while Wrin raised wards against fire while Uhn charged in with Choppy held high. As the dragon materialized once more, Viggo's frost bombs exploded into the manifestation, though it appeared unharmed. Yet each blast of it's burning breath cooked the heroes as they struggled. "Foolish mortals," boomed a voice in Draconic, "not even Apsu can save you from my wrath." Inagra's eyebrows raised. It was Dahak! The battle raged on, but Inagra wracked her mind for the legend of Dahak and Apsu... she had read it before in a tome somewhere.
As her companions threw themselves at the god of destruction, Inagra called out for the protection of the gods to protect them against this vision of darkness. When all seemed lost, however, a force from beyond answered Inagra's desperate prayer and the dragon of flames was blown away, dissipating as quickly as it came. For now, the path between elf gates was safe.
Steeling themselves for what could lay beyond, the Guardians stepped through the other side of Huntergate.
The air was sticky and humid. A thin sheen of sweat coated the party as they stepped into the ruins of an old temple. Everything around them was in ruins and the bodies of Cinderclaw cultists lay in heaps on the ground. Above them, through the broken stone ceiling, the sky was dominated by massive banyan trees blocking out the sun. As they took in their surroundings, Inagra noticed a toppled and half-destroyed wooden pillar. As she approached, a white-fletched arrow shot through the air, burying itself just inches from Inagra. The Guardians looked around to find a group of dark-skinned elves stepping into the temple, bows held high with arrows pointed at the party.
The elves shouted at them in a strange tongue, while the Guardians held their hands up to show they meant peace. They struggled to find the words to respond, but Renali seemed shocked into a state of confusion herself. It was a new voice that defused the situation, however. A bronze skinned elf wearing a shirt of colored wooden plates and golden bracers stepped into the ruins. He spoke with a heavily accented Taldane and greeted the group. He asked them about the Cinderclaws who escaped through the portal a month ago, explaining that they were charged with guarding the temple. Unfortunately, they were beaten back by the cultists and the temple fell to them until the elves could reclaim it.
While they listened, Viggo and Uhn poked around the ashes at the foot of the broken pillar, uncovering several slim bars of gold. The greedy goblin passed the gold over to the alchemist, who pocketed the ingots without anyone noticing. Meanwhile, Wrin explained that the Cinderclaws that passed through to their land were defeated and that the Guardians had come to make sure that they wouldn't return. The elf - who introduced himself as Jahsi of the Leopard Clan - seemed satisfied with the answer and asked the party to join him in his home for a celebration.
Not sure of what else to do, the group followed the elf through the wilds of the Mwangi expanse. Back in Isger, the seasons were slowly changing and things were getting colder. Yet here in the jungles, it was as hot and humid as midsummer! All the while they walked, they kept slapping at the numerous bugs that attempted to dine on their blood, and Viggo couldn't help but notice the distinct roar of predators in the jungle. Among the trees, the elves could be seen leaping from branch to branch while Jahsi bushwhacked the flora below for the newcomers.
Finally, they arrived at Akrivel, a magnificent city built among the trees. Waiting for them there was a young half-elven woman named Nketiah. She held a staff of authority and her left arm was made of supple wood. After introducing herself as the Leopard Clan's translator and storyteller, she invited the Guardians into the city and began to teach them about the ways of the Ekujae. They were a military people, but quick to laugh and love. They shared the bounty of the land, but taught their young not to trust unconditionally. They were at war with the forces of "civilization" attempting to take the rich resources of their land and enslave their people. They were also the protectors of the forest, but that story would have to wait until after the feast. Nketiah gave a sad smile that told the Guardians that they were here for more than just a celebration.
Uhn took part in a traditional Ekujae battle of rhythm and dancing, earning the respect and love of the children in the town. Viggo and Wrin went to speak more with Nketiah and to play some pranks. This lead to Wrin demonstrating his prowess for understanding animals as he coaxed a lioness away from Viggo. The Guardians were showing that they were not dangerous people and that they could, potentially, be of assistance to the Ekujae. Uhn returned from hunting with a group of warriors, carrying with him game that he found in the wilds. With his return, the party was asked to meet with the elders of the tribe, The Twin Leopards. The twin women were curious about the capabilities of the Guardians and asked them about what they have accomplished in life, and even challenged Uhn to a quick sparring match. Their question, however, hung in the air: "Would you give your lives to save the lives of thousands of others?"
With the approval of The Twin Leopards won, the party was treated to a wild feast. Turtle soup, roasted vegetables, and charred bat were passed around along with wicked looking peppers. Uhn, unwisely, popped two into his mouth and fell to the ground gasping for air. Undeterred, however, he and the rest of the Guardians took part in a pepper eating contest against their ally, Jahsi. After four brutal rounds of some of the spiciest peppers in the Mwangi Expanse, Jahsi stood victorious while the foreigners tried to cool their tongues with turtle soup.
Viggo, however, began to cramp up. He skin grew red and he couldn't help but vomit off the side of the railings. He collapsed at the edge of the party, thankful that Inagra was there to tend to him. She sent for an herbalist, who noticed the signs of gold poisoning. She tried to take care of him, but the poison was brutal. It ravaged his body even as she tended to him with ground herbs and tinctures. Thankfully, the poison wasn't enough to finish off the seasoned alchemist. It did leave him with a reminder: the gold in these lands comes with a terrible taint.
After the meal (and after Viggo's recovery), it was time for the storyteller to pass on the legend of the Ekujae. With that sobering story learned, the Guardians were invited to tell their own tales. Wrin told a story of loss and duty, an unending hunt for the truth. Uhn spoke of the tyrant that he escaped from and his plans to take back his life. The Ekujae kept and cherished the stories, promising to remember them always.
It was after the tales that Nketiah approached the heroes about their problem. The Cinderclaws were up to something in the jungles, yet whenever the warriors ventured to the east, their eyes were filled with stinging embers and they were struck blind. With no way to discover what had caused the cult to become so active recently, the Ekujae needed the help of the Guardians to discover what was happening, and put a stop to it.
The next day, the party took off into the jungle heading toward a camp only a few days away populated by the "Elephant People" under the guidance of Nketiah. They took the journey slowly, exploring the jungle and taking care to protect themselves at night. When they came to a river, Viggo lashed together some branches to make a serviceable raft to cross. On the other side, the found the burnt ruins of a village. They approached cautiously, seeing the bodies of several boggards and charau-ka trampled into a fine past. Just then, cries for help were heard coming from the far end of the ruined camp where an old Mwangi man was trapped beneath a wooden beam. Not far from him were two massive elephants trumpeting in anger.
Uhn tried to sneak over to the trapped man, but the elephants charged, nearly bowling the goblin over. Battle was joined! While Viggo, Uhn, and Inagra all tried to bring down the massive beasts, Wrin made his way over to the old man and attempted to rescue him. Uhn and Viggo ducked and rolled out of the way as massive feet thundered down around them, but the elephants were seemingly unstoppable. Even after Uhn nearly hacked the trunk off of one, they continued their relentless assault. Inagra ended up being gored on the end of one of the giant tusks, her blood staining the pristine ivory of the beast. Finally, Wrin was able to free the old man, who slowly came to. As the elephants charged, the old man spoke a few words and they stopped as if by magic.
Through the translation assistance of Renali, the man explained that his tribe was attacked by a force of Cinderclaws who came through, burning everything in their way. They spoke of setting up pillars of power for some dark ritual. He did not understand much more before his tribe was chased out and he was trapped beneath his former home. The force of cultists escaped to the east, doubtless to cause more chaos and destruction.
Strangers in a strange land, the Guardians have found themselves embroiled in a local conflict. What do the Cinderclaws intend to do? And why did they need to pass through the Huntergate? What does any of this have to do with Dahak? The answers lie hidden among the trees...
-Dungeon Master
