A quick note - this is when you found the flaming bat idol! See, these write ups are useful!
The party decided to remain in Farshore for a few days, particularly with the election looming and to give Lavinia their support. Dacien used the tails from the Shocker Lizards they had encountered to enchant Mendel's bow to imbue the arows with electrical energy. Stefanie consecrated the local graveyard with tea. Mendel helped with preparations for the ballista outposts and bow training. Antony continued his electioneering on Lavinia's behalf. Jardek worked with the smith to construct a floating chain to block the harbour when needed. And Krunk woke in a pool of his drool to find the tavern he was spending his time in - The Last Coconut - had been renamed 'Krunk's'.
The next day, whilst Stefanie raised the Jade Raven Liamae from the dead, and Dacien worked his abjuration magic to remove the lycanthropy from Stefanie and Tolin, the elections got under way Thanks in large part to Antony's work, Lavinia won by a clear margin with over 60% of the colony behind her claim. Lavinia thanked them for their efforts, but asked for an update on progress in defending Farshore. Lord Meravanchi was stoic in defeat, only wanting to ensure his investment in the colony was safe.
The party next decided to head to Tanaroa to petition for additional warriors and for tar to help in the building repairs. They sailed up to Mora, and travel by land from thereon. Arriving in Tanaroa, they found the native piling wood on the central pyramid into a large unlit pyre. When J'kal, the village matriarch, met them, she explained that they had been visited by Zotzil'ra himself, who had punished the village for a theft of an object. Suspicious of the characters as the only outsiders they had seen travel beyond the Great Wall, J'kal demanded they remain for the ceremony to appease Zotzil'ra's anger - initially bound, but at Krunk's glare she dismissed them from the village to return unshackled that night.
As the bonfire was lit, the party were brought before the flames. Waiting for an hour or so, a figure appeared in the flames - a deformed black furred humanoid with thin membranous wings, with flames flickering over its body. It stretched its wings, and the flames coalesced into ten bat like creatures composed of fire. These fire bats attacked the villagers and Zhedd as they sprang out form the bonfire, as the creature wailed "Return what was stolen!". Stephanie stepped forward, and the beast seemed to fixate on her holy symbol of Vanya and cried "Servants of the whore must burn!", before unleashing a hellish blast of flaming breath upon the party. Krunk leapt into the flames to attack the creature, only to find it's blows rapidly draining his strength. The fire bats seemed to have drained their fill of the villagers and retreated into the bonfire, as the creature created a portal within the flames and vanished.
That night, J'kal permitted the party to stay in the village, having seen their actions in the defence and healing of the villagers. Discussing the events of the evening the party (even tho some players seemed to remember! :p) finally recalled they had recovered a golden idol depicting a bat wreathed in flames when they visited Tamoachan - and that might be what this creature wants. But how it lost an item that the party recovered almost 1000 miles away from where they are now, was not clear.
The next day, the party prepared for the second visitation, and at night once again stood before the pyre, this time warded with spells against fire. The idol was placed on the ground before them, and when 'Zotzil'ra' appeared, he seemed appeased and asked that the party bring it into the flames. When they stepped onto they pyre, they found themselves transported into a chamber at the heart of a volcano. Niches lined the walls filled with wither and dried trinkets, and a large engraving of a bat wreathed in flames - wings outstretched to hold the missing idol - filled the far wall. The creature seemed more composed with the return of the idol, and introduced himself as the 'First of the Failed' - an experiment by Rathanos to 'combine flesh and flame' into a new species. The idol bound him to the volcano and allowed him to rest peacefully therein, but without it he had become plagued by nightmares and was confused. He muttered something about the party being tools of other agents, and being played, but knew little more about who, how or why. For allowing him to return to his slumber, he granted the party each one item fro mthe vault of donations the villagers of Tanaroa had left him over the years on their pilgrimages to the Fangs of Zotzil'ra. Mendel took a lucky rabbit's foot. Antony took a dragonfly medallion. Dacien took a Ring of Wizardry. Zhedd too an amulet of natural armour. Stephane took a bone ghost touch bastard sword. And Krunk took a coffer of ancient platinum pieces. The creature also found a large ruby i nthe vault, which it did no recall having been left there. Krunk took this as well, and found it to have a power that increased his might. Dacien later identified this to be an artifact called the Eye of Arik, but none knew any information about it's history. Before leaving the chamber, Zhedd thought he heard a child crying from down a winding corridor, but despite a search, no one could find the source or confirm Zhedd's hearing.
A portal was opened to allow the party to return to Tanaroa, where J'kal thanked them for their efforts, and agreed to make 20 warriors (hunters and fishermen) available from the seven villages to aid the party in their fight. There was not enough tar currently in the village to bring back to Farshore, so the party left with some guides on an expedition to the tar pits. After several days ttravel, including an encounter with some ankylosaurs that Zhedd charmed, and a predatory giant sundew that almost dissolved Mendel and Krunk in its pungent sap, the party came across a hunting party of the inquisitive raccoon-like phanatons.
They explained that they were looking for a large prey to chase north to the tar pits to act as a distraction for a large tyrannosaurus that had claimed the tar pits as its territory. Antony made a bargain that if the party killed the dinosaur, then the phanaton might be willing to aid in the defence of Farshore. The phanaton took the party on a shortcut to the tar pits where they encountered the tyrranosaurus i nquestion - a giant battle-scarred specimen. With a plan that consisted of buffing Krunk so he could be swallowed and kill the creature from within - a tactic that had worked before - the party joined in the battle. Krunk dived down it's throat as Mendel peppered its eyes with arrows, Dacien followed up with lightning, Antony used his Ring of the Ram, Stefanie summoned a Spiritual Weapon and Zhedd conjured a flock of hippogriffs. Eventually, the beast was felled, with Krunk desperately tugging on the corpse to stop the head falling into the tar so he could carry it back as a trophy for his bar.
T minus 2 weeks...
The next day, whilst Stefanie raised the Jade Raven Liamae from the dead, and Dacien worked his abjuration magic to remove the lycanthropy from Stefanie and Tolin, the elections got under way Thanks in large part to Antony's work, Lavinia won by a clear margin with over 60% of the colony behind her claim. Lavinia thanked them for their efforts, but asked for an update on progress in defending Farshore. Lord Meravanchi was stoic in defeat, only wanting to ensure his investment in the colony was safe.
The party next decided to head to Tanaroa to petition for additional warriors and for tar to help in the building repairs. They sailed up to Mora, and travel by land from thereon. Arriving in Tanaroa, they found the native piling wood on the central pyramid into a large unlit pyre. When J'kal, the village matriarch, met them, she explained that they had been visited by Zotzil'ra himself, who had punished the village for a theft of an object. Suspicious of the characters as the only outsiders they had seen travel beyond the Great Wall, J'kal demanded they remain for the ceremony to appease Zotzil'ra's anger - initially bound, but at Krunk's glare she dismissed them from the village to return unshackled that night.
As the bonfire was lit, the party were brought before the flames. Waiting for an hour or so, a figure appeared in the flames - a deformed black furred humanoid with thin membranous wings, with flames flickering over its body. It stretched its wings, and the flames coalesced into ten bat like creatures composed of fire. These fire bats attacked the villagers and Zhedd as they sprang out form the bonfire, as the creature wailed "Return what was stolen!". Stephanie stepped forward, and the beast seemed to fixate on her holy symbol of Vanya and cried "Servants of the whore must burn!", before unleashing a hellish blast of flaming breath upon the party. Krunk leapt into the flames to attack the creature, only to find it's blows rapidly draining his strength. The fire bats seemed to have drained their fill of the villagers and retreated into the bonfire, as the creature created a portal within the flames and vanished.
That night, J'kal permitted the party to stay in the village, having seen their actions in the defence and healing of the villagers. Discussing the events of the evening the party (even tho some players seemed to remember! :p) finally recalled they had recovered a golden idol depicting a bat wreathed in flames when they visited Tamoachan - and that might be what this creature wants. But how it lost an item that the party recovered almost 1000 miles away from where they are now, was not clear.
The next day, the party prepared for the second visitation, and at night once again stood before the pyre, this time warded with spells against fire. The idol was placed on the ground before them, and when 'Zotzil'ra' appeared, he seemed appeased and asked that the party bring it into the flames. When they stepped onto they pyre, they found themselves transported into a chamber at the heart of a volcano. Niches lined the walls filled with wither and dried trinkets, and a large engraving of a bat wreathed in flames - wings outstretched to hold the missing idol - filled the far wall. The creature seemed more composed with the return of the idol, and introduced himself as the 'First of the Failed' - an experiment by Rathanos to 'combine flesh and flame' into a new species. The idol bound him to the volcano and allowed him to rest peacefully therein, but without it he had become plagued by nightmares and was confused. He muttered something about the party being tools of other agents, and being played, but knew little more about who, how or why. For allowing him to return to his slumber, he granted the party each one item fro mthe vault of donations the villagers of Tanaroa had left him over the years on their pilgrimages to the Fangs of Zotzil'ra. Mendel took a lucky rabbit's foot. Antony took a dragonfly medallion. Dacien took a Ring of Wizardry. Zhedd too an amulet of natural armour. Stephane took a bone ghost touch bastard sword. And Krunk took a coffer of ancient platinum pieces. The creature also found a large ruby i nthe vault, which it did no recall having been left there. Krunk took this as well, and found it to have a power that increased his might. Dacien later identified this to be an artifact called the Eye of Arik, but none knew any information about it's history. Before leaving the chamber, Zhedd thought he heard a child crying from down a winding corridor, but despite a search, no one could find the source or confirm Zhedd's hearing.
A portal was opened to allow the party to return to Tanaroa, where J'kal thanked them for their efforts, and agreed to make 20 warriors (hunters and fishermen) available from the seven villages to aid the party in their fight. There was not enough tar currently in the village to bring back to Farshore, so the party left with some guides on an expedition to the tar pits. After several days ttravel, including an encounter with some ankylosaurs that Zhedd charmed, and a predatory giant sundew that almost dissolved Mendel and Krunk in its pungent sap, the party came across a hunting party of the inquisitive raccoon-like phanatons.
They explained that they were looking for a large prey to chase north to the tar pits to act as a distraction for a large tyrannosaurus that had claimed the tar pits as its territory. Antony made a bargain that if the party killed the dinosaur, then the phanaton might be willing to aid in the defence of Farshore. The phanaton took the party on a shortcut to the tar pits where they encountered the tyrranosaurus i nquestion - a giant battle-scarred specimen. With a plan that consisted of buffing Krunk so he could be swallowed and kill the creature from within - a tactic that had worked before - the party joined in the battle. Krunk dived down it's throat as Mendel peppered its eyes with arrows, Dacien followed up with lightning, Antony used his Ring of the Ram, Stefanie summoned a Spiritual Weapon and Zhedd conjured a flock of hippogriffs. Eventually, the beast was felled, with Krunk desperately tugging on the corpse to stop the head falling into the tar so he could carry it back as a trophy for his bar.
T minus 2 weeks...
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