SESSION 320: The Dreaming Caldera Pt.2: Getting Pummelled
The ascent was the first of their challenges.
Day 767 Continued - 768 (Wilds): A day was used and three winter wolf pelts were salvaged. Bimbles saw nothing but coin as our Elvish guides seemed a little more dejected by the relaxed hero schedule.
Day 769 (Wilds): Back to hiking towards the cloud wall. The journey was unvenetful just slogging through the snow. They camped an hour or so away from the optical barrier.
Day 770 (Wilds): The elves gave some final direction this morning, wished Borlax’s speed to them and the two groups parted company.
The barrier was odd. Thousands of feet high and impenetrable by eye. They planned for the worse and tied everybody off. It ended up simply being a bank fifteen or so feet deep. Just enough to put a little fear into your garden variety murderhobo. Looming, even though it was still a number of miles away was Mt. Embersnake. They made their way working along the broken patches of forest to hide the approach.
By late morning they had reached the “faster/easier” (deforested side) Western trail up Mt. Embersnake. A six thousand foot ascent is a long hike before you factor in the all the switchbacks. They would make less than half the journey today. With this side of the mountain being in the open the gang decided to get invisible for the journey.
It was only an hour or so before the first encounter. A gross little rotund man doing his best to run down the mountain from a pursuing group of baying gnolls. Acting quickly Charles and Dolec sneakily stretched a rope across the path, intending to trip up the gnolls. It did end up sorta working but the little fat guy failed his attempt to waddle over the unsprung trap. He skidded out. Inciting the gnolls to charge. The first two were wanged by the trap and then our troop engaged the group. Those invisibilities didn’t last long did they. The fight was quick. Five well surprised gnolls really stood no chance. The little fat and waxy guy, the Red Prophet, was grateful. Before skipping away giggled a prophecy pout and handed a dead rat to Lester.
Eyeball, tooth, bone, and brow Blaspheme against the true god’s power For each destroyed, the birth forestalls And lucre grease thy grubby paws! Defile the organs with thy swords Then seek the master for your reward.
“The rat will show you the way to the Master”, were his final words. Lester did his good-guy best to appear gracious to the walrus-like man.
They watched him waddle-skip for a spell before continuing the ascent. All went well until high afternoon.
Swooping out of the sun were a trio of pteradon riders armed with bows and lances. They had the first move. Bow fire followed by dive bomb attacks. The run and gun pattern kept them out of melee, at least for awhile. Saffron pulled out her wand of paralysis to turn the tables on these black knights and their prehistoric mounts. For one of them it became very difficult to stay airborne when your mount can no longer fly. They crashed into the slope. The impact did not kill the rider forcing Bunny to become embroiled in a one-on-one. Slowly the gang got the fight under control and opponents began to drop (probably in part assisted by the cheating but too late to punish now). The fight ended the pay was pretty good and then they marched on for awhile more before setting camp.
Day 771 (Wilds): The camp on the slope was thankfully uneventful. It took about three hours to reach the summit. Invisible Bunny crept up and looked over the rim. The mountain was crowned by a dry, 300’ diameter, bowl shaped caldera. Cold winds blew a dusting of snow across its cracked earth. At its center sits a blackened and ruined marble pavilion. A staircase inside descending into the mountain’s core. An armor-clad, foaming from the mouth, elongated limbed giant, kneeled before the pavilion surrounded by javelins embedded in the cracked soil. Bunny fell back and then the group entered the caldera. Nothing happened, so they began running towards the pavilion. As they closed the range to a hundred or so feet away a voice echoed from all directions, “HAVE YOU HEARD THE MUSIC?” .
Then a little hooded gimp limped from the pavilion towards the hobos. Meanwhile the giant had arisen but stood motionless as foam bubbled from its helm and down its body to the dry earth. When the gang (whom began prancing and declaring they had heard the music) and the little guy halved the distance between it thrust forth an iron clad gauntlet and then shrieked “They have not heard the music!”
The tyrant immediately grabbed two adjacent javelins and hurled them. The fight was on. The little guy now identified as a goblin made haste back towards the pavilion. Our tanks rushed the giant only to be greeted by an acidic foam vomit spray and then surprised by two more iron-clad giants erupting from under the earth. The fight started out on the wrong foot and only got worse. The tyrants seemed indifferent to physical damage as the smashed hobo with the mighty fists connected to their abnormally long arms. The clerics each transformed bundles of sticks into snakes in an attempt to distract the beasts to allow the gang to regroup. The giants gave almost no heed to the snakes after a couple of quick smashes obliterating scores of serpents. The fight was going really poorly at least they were able to neutralize the goblin before it escaped and likely sounded the alarm.
Carla and Bimbles recognized an imminent defeat and called for a tactical retreat. Into the pavilion and down the steps they bolted to hopefully evade the reach of the tyrannical trio….
The A-Team: Bunny, Carla, Bimbles, Saffron, Charles, Dolec Da, Nara & Lester
ROLECALL
Carla the Green High Priestess of TMB (C10) 358909 xp +10% <400001> CRT 1d12/III
Scars: permanent loss left index finger and scarring on arm
Bimbles the High Priest of GSS (C10) 323144 xp +5% <400001> CRT 1d12/III
+2 save to poison and internal body things; Double eat (gotta feed my baybay)
Bunny the Thief! (T10) 314754 xp <400001> +10% CRT 1d24/II
Light wound: permanent loss of pinky finger, off hand
The Henchmen
Saffron the Mad Fairy Queen of Ribbits (FY7) 199399 xp <200001> CRT 1d10/III
Moderate wound: Scar on abdomen
Lasting injury: -1 STR, mashed guts
Nara the Nearly Naked Purple Swami Girl (PS7) 113928 xp +5% <125000> CRT 1d16/II
Wraith Drained: -1 CON
Charles in Charge the Myrmidon (F6) 87256 <120000> +10% CRT 1d20/IV
Franz the Grave Return (Lawful; XXXX) Sword
Critical Wound: Punctured lung (-2 CON)
Mostly DEAD. (-1 CON)
Dolec Da the Hero (F7) 72515 xp +10% <120000> CRT 1d20/IV
Missing five teeth
Lester Flanders the Guardian of Oceana (P6) 49775 xp <95000> +5% CRT 1d16/IV
RESERVES
Elapsed Campaign Time
743b days at beginning of session (Boris & Friends just outside of Liwil)
761a (Bunny Group Newville) Busy until 779
724d (Ding-We Gang Lake of Abominations/ Liwil)
Join us for session Three-Hundred-and-Twenty-One when we ask the questions:
What just happened?
Those foaming long-armed giants were unusual weren’t they?
Is our crew rusty from their Winter retreat?
Who or what is the Master?
Tale of the Tape
We got to the precipice, lets keep pushing
KILLS
Gnolls (5)
Pteradons (3)
Black Wing Knights (3)
LOOT
50 pp
3003 gp
2000 sp
Wolf pelts (3) @ 5,000 gp each
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