February 2, 2013

Who's That a'Knockin'

After making the treaty with the spiders in the grove, the Motley Crew spends a few days settling into their new house in Gelfini. One morning, as the group is gathered for breakfast, they hear a knock. Standing at the door is a dwarf caked with the dust of travel. He asks for Flerm.

(in which Wei converses with himself)

Flerm: What do you want?

Thrain: My name is Thrain. I've come to learn from the great Flerm! I've see you in action during the battle with the Oblivion King.

Flerm: Well, you've come at a good time. I'm establishing a stronghold. I need followers. I accept you into my faction. Travel with my companions to prove yourself to me.

Thrain: But...I came to train with you.

Flerm: I'm busy training spiders.

Just as Thrain is being introduced to the rest of the Crew, there is another knock at the door. This time it's a human sporting a very impressive antler headpiece.

Adarra: Hello. My name is Adarra. Is Snow in? I think Leento might be in trouble.

Adarra explains that she is Leento's disciple. A few days ago he sensed a disturbance coming from the plateau where the Kopru temple resided. He left to investigate, instructing Adarra to seek out Snow if he did not return within two days. That was two days ago.

While quickly gathering what equipment and provisions they would need on the Isle of Dread, plans are discussed. Seeing as they had just accepted the responsibility of clearing out this land, they could not all leave. Snow opts to stay behind and use the time to train the town's guards while Flerm continues working with the spiders. The rest of the group will travel to the Isle of Dread and rescue Leento.

Getting to the Isle of Dread poses some logistical issues, foremost being that the Motley Crew didn't own a ship. However, Adarra has a solution to this problem. Before leaving, Leento gave Adarra acorns that create a portal to and from the Isle. After Adarra plants an acorn in the ground before an oak tree, the tree opens to reveal a doorway. Before anyone can say anything, Malouf rushes through...

...and comes face to face with an Apatosaurus.

Malouf: Hello! Take me to Leento!

Quiet, the Rain

Adarra leads the party through the jungle, but not without incident. First, the barbarian Kawibusa tribe manages to surround the group, unbeknownst to the elves. After Malouf gives away Brecaryn's Dragonkin scepter, they are allowed to pass unmolested. Torn with indecision, the exchange is done before Brecaryn can stop it. Not that she really wanted it anyway, but still.

A few miles later, the group is set upon by invisible assailants. Josy and Brecaryn cast spells that enable them to see their enemies - sleestaks. The party had encountered these lizardmen on their previous visit to the Isle of Dread.

After a bit of confusion and some lucky hits, the Crew decimates the sleestaks and their shaman flees by turning into gas, leaving his staff behind.

Waking Thrain who had been hit with a sleep spell, the group moves on until they come upon a stone post covered in runes. The runes are in Kopru, pointing the way to something called the "Astrology Dome".

Thrain and Malouf lead the group in the direction of the Dome. They spot a humanoid shape ahead in the shadows.

Malouf: (to Thrain) Quiet, the Rain.

Moving cautiously closer, they see that the humanoid is actually a wooden man with no mouth. His feet are embedded in the earth. As the group approaches, it pulls a tree aside, revealing a stairwell leading into the ground.

At the bottom is a large open room. The ceiling resembles a night sky, full of stars. Dozens of chairs line the perimeter and each chair back is decorated with a squid sculpture.

Thrain and Alana each take a chair. The ceiling changes to show the Five Kingdoms as seen from the sky. The scene changes to a star-filled, blue sky. The word "sky" appears. The background then turns yellow. The word "sun" appears. Followed by green, "earth" and white, "wealth". Finally, the words "The path is in the sky" are formed before the ceiling goes back to the starry night it was originally.

Adarra sits and sees Leento's image.

Leento: Adarra, if you are seeing this, I am in trouble. Remember this message. It will prove to be important.

With no further images forthcoming, they search the room. Finding a hidden passage, Alana and Josy discover a pool the Kopru used to refresh themselves. Wading into the pool, Josy absorbs the bit of essence remaining from the Kopru. Finding nothing else, the Crew continues on their way to the plateau.

Beware a Sleestak Bearing Gifts

Coming as no surprise to anyone when considering the inhabitants of the island, the Crew ends up getting chased by a group of carnivorous dinosaurs. Running, they approach a rocky outcropping with the carnosaurs close on their heels. Up ahead, the group is attacked by more sleestaks blocking the way into the "too narrow for dinosaurs", cliff-protected ravines. Malouf eagerly jumps into battle with the sleestaks, taking Josy (less eagerly) with him.

Brecaryn's spells bounce off a force field. Thydor and Adarra are downed by a hail of spears. There is confusion as to which direction they should run. Alana and Lieralyn attack the aforementioned force field.

Alana: There's a force field!

Eventually, the party figures it out, defeats the sleestaks, and gets to the safety of the cliffs before the dinosaurs reach them. Brecaryn creates a large grease spot, sending an allosaur crashing into the stone walls.

As they assess their wounds and recover from this most recent ordeal, a sleestak cautiously appears with a tray in hand, pointing to the unconscious sleestak the group is holding prisoner.

After much gesturing, the sleestak draws a crude map in the dirt showing the paths in this area and marking one area named the "Domain of the Sleeping King". The party then allows him to take his injured companion away.

On the tray are bowls of liquid and some gold. Thrain, Alana, and Brecaryn test the liquid. As they drink, they begin to feel healed and refreshed, rested. With these assurances that the beverage is safe, the rest of the party members drink, as well.

Things start to go downhill from here. Thrain starts cawing and attempting to fly. Malouf begins speaking as if he is the god Aten. Brecaryn lumbers towards Lieralyn, fascinated by her bright hair. And Josy begins to growl menacingly at everyone nearby.

Lieralyn, Adarra, and Alana look to each other in horror. All the party members with knowledge of poisons are poisoned. What can they do?

Lieralyn grabs Josy and forces her to vomit. She instructs Adarra to do the same with Malouf. With these two recovered, they are able to neutralize the poison. In the confusion, a squirrely creature manages to creep down and steal one of Brecaryn's pouches. Hope it didn't hold anything important.

Jumping the Shark

Once everyone stops thinking they are some sort of animal or god, the party continues through the ravine to the Domain of the Sleeping King. The Domain consists of a wide open space. At its center sits an ornate cistern sitting atop a mound of dirt.

At the front, Malouf enters the area first. As soon as he does, a tyrannosaurus rises from the cistern, roaring. Malouf jumps back into the narrow passageway in surprise. The dinosaur doesn't give chase and instead sinks back into the water.

Using Airwalk, Josy enables Malouf to explore the area without triggering the dinosaur sentinel. He sees within the pool swims a shark. Malouf cautiously dips a finger in the pool. The shark swims up towards him. Malouf runs back to the doorway. The shark jumps clear out of the cistern.

And speaks??

Shark:Greetings, master. Red ruby, green emerald, blue sapphire, white diamond. One is for wealth. The rest will be your transportation. Choose.

The path is in the sky. Adarra chooses the diamond. It flies to her and the rest turn into large spheres. Stepping into the blue sphere, the group is flown up to the Kopru plateau.

Octopuses are Terribly Comfortable. I Think Everyone Will be Wearing Them in the Future.

Remembering the layout of the temple from their last visit, they move quickly to the cavern below. The cavern is full of lava. In the center floats Leento with a giant octopus attached to his head. Its tentacles can be seen throughout the cavern, unharmed by the lava.

On a rocky island within the pool of lava is a large mechanical tower. One of the octopus' tentacles seems to be manipulating the controls on it.

Leento: Ah...Adarra...And Malouf. Good. You fools have arrived in time. I could not hold it back much longer. Come. I must kill you...save you...kill you.

Malouf, Alana, and Lieralyn are grabbed by tentacles and held over the lava as the tentacles try to tear them apart. Four acid-spitting jelly creatures appear in front of Josy, Adarra, and Thrain.

Malouf, still spelled with Airwalk, easily defeats his tetacle opponent and heads for the tentacle on the tower.

Alana and Lieralyn have a harder time of it, nearly getting dunked in the lava. Josy, disengaging from the jelly fight, casts a Rainbow Bridge over the pool and rushes to cast Airwalk on Alana before she falls in. Brecaryn's Cold Flame spell creates an ice floe under Lieralyn.

Leento: All of you will be inconvenienced by water!

Rain starts falling.

After many failed attempts, Adarra and Thrain eventually triumph over their gelatinous foes. Ha ha!

Leento: Now you will feel the wrath of zebras and giraffes!

Two giraffes and two zebras appear next to Lieralyn looking very confused and distressed.

Leento: And now you will melt veeeery slowly!

Lieralyn starts to feel warm.

Malouf kills the tentacle on the tower. He hears a click, and a humming he hadn't noticed before stops.

The group then concentrates all their efforts to defeating the octopus' head. With each successful attack, Leento shouts encouragement.

Leento: Yes! Feels good! Oh yeah! Keep it up!

Alana kills the octopus with a final hail of arrows, piercing its eye and brain. As it dies, the creature deflates.

Leento: I'm falling into lava!

Luckily, Malouf is able to catch Leento and easily haul him to the safety of the rainbow bridge. Leento explains that he allowed the octopus, a Kopru doomsday device, to possess him, knowing he could slow it down. Greeting his disciple, he informs Adarra that he's decided she should stay with the Crew in order to gain experience of the world. He will continue his work on the Isle of Dread.

Lieralyn: How long have you been attached to this octopus thing?

Leento: Two days.

Lieralyn: Oh. So...can you heal my leg?

Alana: Hey! There's no loot here? How about giant gorilla teeth?

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