Session 4-12-09

Maia 12, 23CR -- The Beastlands:

After the fierce battle against Arbrozzar's frost giants, the party camps near the river and takes an extended rest.  Regular watches are posted, and though the night is filled with sounds of night-stalking animals, nothing disturbes the heroes' rest.  They awaken on the morning of Maia 12 to continue their travels south down the shallow slope of the Beastlands' vine jungle, into the eternal night of Karasuthra.  After enjoying a heroes' feast of crescent rolls, honey, tree-nuts, fruit and hot chocolate ambrosia, they depart the camp.  The journey continues for about six hours, and by the early afternoon all sunlight has been blotted out by the deepening canopy of the jungle.  The air grows moister and thicker with humidity, and the chattering and screeching of hundreds of monkeys fills the wilderness.  Jack and Rockbounder hack through thick underbrush, clearing a path for their friends with scythe and greatsword.

The darkness surrounding the companions deepens and the chattering of the monkeys grows louder.  Ayotunde is now certain the group has passed through the middle layers of the Beastlands into Karasuthra, the land of eternal night.  Her flaming longspear provides plenty of light, as does Altaer's armor of preparedness, so the party has no trouble seeing what lies before them.  Monkeys of every size and shape -- orangutans, rhesus monkeys, flying tree monkeys, chimpanzees and more -- gather around them.  Acacia shares some of her trail rations with the friendly primates, who approach cautiously to eat what she offers.  From deeper in the brush, a massive 12-foot tall monkey emerges, flanked on both sides by large silverback gorillas.  He has golden-brown fur and is adorned with seeds, precious stones and piercings with sparkling bits of precious metals.  His eyes are bright and intelligent. "Greetings, and welcome to Karasuthra," the ape says in the Sylvan tongue.  Only Jack and Kaelin understand him, so he switches to Common, speaking a bit more slowly.  "I am the Monkey King, and I would ask for a fair trade from you.  One of my silverback's mates was badly wounded by a drow hunting party, which passed this way not a day ahead of you.  I smell the Beastlands honeycomb you carry, and its magic would surely cure the critical wounds of my guard's mate."  Ayo steps forward.  "May I see the wounds?" she inquires, and the Monkey King nods in agreement.  One of the silverbacks brings forth his wounded mate in his arms, and Ayo prays for Shandae's healing magic.  Soon the festering wounds close, and the female slowly rises to her feet.  As Ayo touched her, she felt life stirring in the gorilla's belly... she was only recently made pregnant, and the party's kindness has saved both mother and child.  The grateful gorilla shyly offers Ayo and the others some ripe bananas, which are quickly peeled and shared among all.

"You show much generosity to us, travellers," says the Monkey King.  "And I will share with you what I know in turn.  The drow party which attacked her, over ten strong I am sure, was heading with haste towards the Temple of the Forest Hart, where the longbow Thaas rests.  Know too that another party of drow -- these numbered only three, and they did not disturb branch or beast -- also approached the Temple on the heels of the first party.  There has been much interest in the Forest Hart's temple lately, but also a great change came over the place, and its elemental guardian, about twenty-three years ago.  My people once made regular visits to the temple, but the guardian has been driven mad, or possessed somehow.  Four strange stones, covered in a glowing red rune that I do not recognize, appeared there and seem to bind the guardian.  It will allow none to approach and claim Thaas.  The runestones have a pernicious influence over the minds of ordinary kin, causing them to sleep long, or wander aimlessly as if in a dream, or sometimes fly into a rage and attack one another.  Perhaps you can succeed in disabling them where others have failed.  I, of course, know the secret paths across the high cliffs and down to the Temple of the Forest Hart.  I will show you the path."  With that, the Monkey King bounds off into the brush, with Rockbounder and the others following as quickly as they can.  At one point, the King looks back at the goliath and smirks with wide lips.  "You jump like a monkey," he says, "and your small friend the gnome climbs like one."  He then addresses Acacia directly.  "Little feeder-of-the-small-ones, return here when you have cleansed the temple of these runestones, and I will teach you the secrets techniques of the monkeys, to increase your skill in climbing and tumbling."

"One more thing, which concerns you," says the Monkey King, pointing at Kaelin.  "There was one who passed this way, a native of the Beastlands, whose fey name is nigh-unpronouncable, but whom we call Sweetgrass.  He spoke of you, and of a certain object you carry in secret, but the power of which he could sense at a distance.  The object has begun to put out a call, Sweetgrass said.  Your family carries a secret shame, which some feel must be repaid with blood.  However, I believe if you encounter Sweetgrass again, he may be open to conversation.  You would do well to speak with him, if your paths cross."  Kaelin nods and thanks the king for his insight, and then falls silent, deep in personal thought.

Soon the Monkey King leads the party up high cliffs and down again, into a small hidden valley where a solid wooden bridge fords a rushing river about 20 feet below. "Beyond the rushing river lies the Temple," says the King.  "Return to my jungles when you have solved the riddle of the strange stones.  You will have my gratitude."  Expecting the drow hunting party to have set an ambush, Altaer casts haste on the group and enchants Rockbounder with displacement, and the companions brace for battle.  Acacia's keen eyesight picks up the silhouettes of several drow crouching low in the underbrush across the river, and she whistles a bird-call signal of warning to the others.  The temple ahead is lined with ancient, crumbling obelisks and pillars, and a huge air elemental slowly spins in whirlwind form at its center.  The four glowing red slabs of stone that the Monkey King spoke of are present, each 10' square slab set into one corner of the temple's foundation.

Three dark-cloaked drow rogues leap from hiding and move onto the bridge, firing poisoned bolts into the vital areas of Jack, Rockbounder and Kaelin. However, the drow sleep poison has no effect due to the lovely heroes' feast they imbibed eariler in the day.  Rockbounder leaps forward, the impact of his landing causing the bridge to shake.  He, Jack and Kaelin engage the rogues as four drow vanguard charge out from the brush, their eyes red with battle rage.  They wield long, curved greataxes that resemble glaives with sweeping, spiked patterns along the edges. Spinning their weapons in a battle dance, they charge inside Rockbounder's defenses and absorb several heavy blows from the goliath's combat reflexes. 

One of the vanguard charges past the group's front line to cut into Ayo in the rear.  Then, a female drow voice chants words of dark prayers to Lolth, though the source of the voice is not readily apparent.  Rockbounder is hit with a targeted dispel magic, which cancels the haste and displacement effects upon him. Two more drow -- these ones skirmishing archers -- emerge from cover near the pillars of the Temple of the Forest Hart to pelt the party with arrows.  At last, a deep croaking laugh echoes through the jungle and temple as the hezrou demon General Toargus makes his presence known.  "So glad to see you again, my enemies," he croaks.  "A good general always learns from past failures.  Now you will know the true power of the Abyss, as we take you back to the implantation chambers of the Demonweb.  Special cysts have already been prepared for your arrival.  Perhaps, when your souls are claimed by the Abyss, you will join my armies yourselves..."  He speaks a word of utter blasphemy, dazing and weakening the companions as his drow forces surge forward.  However, the heroes find the inner reserves to overcome the effects of his Dark Speech and fight on.  "A worthy foe indeed," says Rockbounder, leaping forward to engage the abyssal general.  He exchanges blows with Toargus on the bridge while Kaelin and Jack hold off the drow vanguard.  Acacia shadow-steps into the ethereal plane, slicing foes with her sudden strike and searching for the hidden drow priestess who supports the other dark elves with spells from a distance.

Altaer burns and freezes the drow with multiple storms of fire and ice, causing great clounds of steam to erupt on the battlefield around the chaotic melee.  After several crushing blows from Rockbounder bloody General Toargus, the hidden priestess casts heal on him, curing most of the hezrou's wounds.  Laughing and overconfident, Toargus smashes Rockbounder to the ground, knocking him unconscious.  However, Ayotunde is ready with a heal spell of her own, quickly restoring the goliath to full strength with Shandae's blessings.  Kaelin, Jack and Acacia cut down the rogues and vanguards, and Acacia moves ahead invisibly to seek out the priestess.  The drow female finally reveals herself, stepping out of the cover of invisibility to touch Acacia with a contagion spell... but she is unaware of the heroes' feast which protects the gnome, and her spell has no effect.  Now revealed at last, she is an easy target for the ninja.  "I'm gonna stab you in the ovaries!" says Acacia. She vanishes from sight and stabs once, twice, thrice with her shadowy daggers, ending the priestess' life in a few heartbeats. 

His drow routed, and himself trapped and unable to teleport away thanks to Ayo's timely casting of a dimensional anchor spell, Toargus fights on fearlessly.  Rockbounder cuts him deeply, and Altaer turns his full fiery fury upon the hapless demon.  Scorching rays fly from the sorcerer's fingertips, burning Toargus where he stands.  "Fool, I am a general of the Abyss!  I fear no fire.... AAAAAGH, AARRGH!" he croaks, his innards exploding and melting under the burning assault.  The toad-demon's body bursts into a sticky goo, leaving behind only bubbling green-black ichor and a small patch of skin (sufficient for Rockbounder to claim as a trophy).  Toargus has haunted the party's steps since their early adventuring days in the Slaughterguard Armory, but he has been destroyed and his essence returned to the pits of the Abyss.  The remaining drow archers fight on fearlessly with the fanaticism typical of the Lolthblessed, but they are soon cut down by Kaelin, Jack and Rockbounder.  With the battle over, the party loots their foes of valuables and moves ahead cautiously to examine the glowing stone slabs.

The runes which cover the slabs are identical, except for a small alchemical etching in the corners of each slab depicting the elements earth (north), air (east), fire (south) and water (west).  The runes themselves are of an angular, stylized veiled death-mask adorned with a large set of antlers.  Behind the death mask is a symbol of a rising sun, and beneath the mask a sword and rose are crossed.  Given their recent discoveries on Gaia, they companions suspect these runes must be the symbol of the Exile, but their meaning is not readily apparent.  The elemental within the temple swirls madly, its gusts causing nearby leaves and trees to rustle in warning.  It does not seem safe to approach, nor is the bow Thaas' location readily apparent.  The party devises a plan to disable the runes: they will conjure or acquire samples or beings made of the four elements, and place the oppositional element on each slab simultaneously.  While discussing their plan, Acacia notices three drow observing them from the north end of the temple, hidden behind a set of obelisks.  She bird-calls their presence to the party's attention, and Jack calls out to the hidden drow, thinking them to be servants of the Dark Huntress.  "Ho!  You there, if you serve the Dark Huntress, we wish to parley," he says, shouldering his scythe in a gesture of peace.  

The three drow emerge from hiding.  One male, the leader, is cloaked in a purple and black robe, his face hidden from view.  The other two females,w ho are uncloaked and wear their stark white hair unbound and wild wield glowing green soulknives, deadly psionic blades which are conjured with the power of the mind.  "Greetings, friends," the cloaked one says.  "I am Mindshard, a survivor of illithid slavery and slayer of many mind-flayers.  We are no servants of Lolth, nor of the Queen of Nightmares who makes the deep places crawl with aberrant life. We indeed serve the Dark Huntress, and welcome the offer of parlay.  However, if you seek to disable those rune-stones, know that your efforts will bring naught but bitter failure.  We only wish to observe, but fear there is little that can be done to free the trapped guardian of this place.  If you are enemies of the Spider Queen, Lolth, we wish you the best, but truly, you must depart here empty-handed.  The stones are far too potent for ones such as you to disable."  As the negotiations continue, Mindshard's body language and physical tics betray him.  The drow warlock is clearly hiding something, and may be concealing his true nature as well as his loyalties.  "I believe you are lying to us," says Rockbounder, with one hand moving to his sheathed greatsword on his back.  "I agree," says Acacia.  "Every time you lie, your left eye twitches a little.  Why are you lying to us."  Jack chimes in as well.  "You're not who you say you are, 'Mindshard,' and we don't appreciate your deceptions." It now seems clear that the drow do not serve the Dark Huntress, but their true loyalties are impossible to discern.

"Well, as I said, we are only here to observe.  We are no match for six warriors such as you," replies Mindshard from beneath his shadowed hood.  "If you wish to waste time and effort on the folly of disable these rune-stones, we shall not stop you."  With that, the three drow fade into the jungle, watching quietly from a distance and not interfering.  The party sets its plan into motion to disable the rune-stones, hoping they have calculated the method correctly.  Two elementals are summoned: one of air by Jack, and one of earth by Ayotunde.  Altaer prepares a scorching burst, and Acacia gathers water from the rushing river nearby to pour over the last stone.  However, as they interact with the runestones, a strange magic takes hold of their minds, weaving dreamstuff and divine magic together into a potent tapestry of deceit. 

Ayo easily resists the enchantment, and orders her earth elemental to stand on the air-etched slab.  However, a sense of regret lingers with her for a moment, as though her choice has doomed her progeny and her life-giving powers to a future of futile struggle.  Altaer too resists the effects of the water-etched slab, casting his scorching burst upon the stone.  As he does so, he feels that he has lost a great opportunity to learn all the secrets of fire and of bodily transformation, missing a chance to re-make his broken body into a perfect and powerful whole.  Nonetheless, he shakes off the momentary feeling and finishes the spell.  "This is the first time my fire has betrayed me!" he says, momentarily forsaking his normally confident demeanor to despair of what he perceives to have lost.

Jack and Acacia are not so lucky.  First, the whisper gnome steps up to the fire-etched slab and prepares to pour river water over it.  Yet her mind is invaded by the dream-weave, and suddenly she is not in the Beastlands with her companions but back at home in the Stark Mounds of Geoff, where she was born and lived happily with her parents (now dead) before the giant invasion of Geoff.  Her mother, long dead in her unclouded memory, bakes her the most delicious fish-pie from Acacia's daily catch, and her father regales her with funny stories from his own years as a secret agent of the Stark Mounds.  Life is peaceful and easy, and all her dark memories of war, imprisonment, slavery to Arbrozzar and the perilous journeys of recent weeks fade away.  Lost in the reverie, Acacia stands before the Exile's runestone, gently swaying with her eyes rolled back in her head.  She tries to walk off into the forest towards Mindshard and the two drow soulknives, but Rockbounder gently holds her in place.

Jack grits his teeth, remembering the warning given to him by the Earthen Wild Hunt of Jenoic on Beltaine, Maia 1 23CR about the Exile's power to influence his mind through his dreambrand.  Nonetheless, he succumbs to the dream-weave and finds himself lost in a vision.  He is happily at home in Dustan, which has become a prosperous and well-populated hub of trade in the Elsir Vale.  He envisions many scenes of peaceful bliss -- making love to Sorrana, her bearing their first child, mastering the power of his dreambrand, and ending conflict and suffering of innocent children, drawing them into the verdant fields of Dunstan where they can know peace and love -- and in the Temple of the Forest Hart, he falls to his knees, looking skyward with blank eyes as his companions witness his fall into the dream. 

Concerned for their friends, the others act.  Ayo manages to order the air elemental that Jack summoned to take its place on the earth-etched runestone, and Rockbounder pours Acacia's river-water over the fire-etched runestone.  With the ritual complete, each of the four stones ceases to glow red, and the runestones crack and crumble away to fine dust shortly thereafter.  Mindshard and his two bodyguards fade away into the jungle without a word, having witnessed the party's success despite their discouraging words earlier.  Jack comes out of his dreaming-trance, as does Acacia, but the whisper gnome falls to the soft ground, weeping with despair.  Jack's jaw is set hard and he grinds his teeth.  In his mind, he knows that the Exile has influenced his thoughts and feelings with false images and dreams, but a string of doubt and anxiety tugs at his heart, as though his current course of action will lead to utter despair and failure: the loss of memory, of history, and of all hope for a better future, his own accomplishments fading away to less than nothing.  Acacia is overcome with sorrow, weeping in the arms of her friend Rockbounder, who comforts her as best he can.  For the gnome, it is as though her heart now yearns to return to that serene and perfect place where her parents yet live, and where warm meals, peaceful days of quiet fishing, and a loving home free of war and strife are all that await her for the roll of years.  Try as they might to purge that persistent tug on their hearts, Jack and Acacia must now carry these burdens as they travel.

The huge whirlwind bound in the center of the temple slows its spinning and the strong breeze dies down.  The elemental guardian moves forward slowly and deliberately, forming itself into a 20' tall humanoid form resembling both man and elf, with a rack of antlers adorning its brow.  It speaks with a strong but even tone, like the rustling of wind through the trees of spring.  "I am the Aerial Wild Huntsman, Aspect of Jenoic and guardian of this sacred place, the Temple of the Forest Hart.  My dreams have been dark and strange these last twenty-three years, but your efforts have freed me.  You, who were charged by Jenoic to find and un-bind all four aspects of Jenoic's Wild Hunt, I thank you."

The companions ask many questions of the Aerial Huntsman, but it knows nothing of Rule-of-Three's origins or of more recent events, its memories clouded because two aspects yet remain bound.  "Free the Fiery Hunt and the Watery Hunt, and many secrets will then be told.  Know you of the Four Virtues of Jenoic, which balance and maintain the energies of the Sisters' Consort, First of the Vernal?  Of two, may I speak: first of Air, which is the element of Community, wherein knowledge, peace and cooperation strengthen the efforts of good people to gather and protect against incursions of evil.  Second, of Earth, which is the element of Fertility... the welcoming thighs of the maiden, and the strong staff of the man in the season of rut. Fertility is the blossoming of the flower of life, the creation of possibilities and the foundation of healthy growth.  Of the other two virtues, I cannot tell... not until the two remaining Aspects are unbound.  Seek them out, and fulfill the prophecy spoken long ago, in the Vernal age, when the Banespawn Wars scarred Gaia for the first time."

The Aerial Huntsman turns to face each of the companions.  "You have proven your valor and worthiness to wield Thaas, the demon-slaying bow of ages.  Know that this place is sacred to many gods of many worlds: to myself, Jenoic, to Obad-Hai the Shalm, his sister Elhonna of Oerth, Beory the Sad Lady, to Silvanus and Mielikki of Aebir-Toril, and other alike.  Too, Thaas is empowered by the energies of Nature itself, and all the primes where green things flourish.  It is a weapon of legacy, and though sacrifices and rituals are required to bring its power to fullness, you have fulfilled the least and lesser of these.  Now a choice lies before you: which of you shall wield the bow in defiance of evil?  You must disrupt the Abyssal Pact which the Spider Queen is now attempting to bring to fruition.  If Lolth succeeds in this, she will bind many material worlds to her Demonweb, and collect enough souls to overpower the other aspects of Irindix -- the Dark Huntress and the Queen of Nightmares.  This must not be allowed to occur."

The companions discuss their choice briefly, but all agree that Acacia should wield Thaas.  "It is a good choice, and one long ago foretold," affirms the Aerial Huntsman.  His eyes glow brightly white-blue, and a beautiful composite shortbow shaped from the great rack of a massive white stag's antlers appears in Acacia's arms.  The bow feels warm and comfortable to her, as though it was shaped to her small hands, and only hers.  The pull of its bowstring is effortless, and its aim precise and true.  "It was said that heroes from far-away worlds, not of Gaia, would come one day and bring the hope of peace and unity with them from beyond Gaia's borders," intones the Huntsman, smiling at Acacia.  "Your heart is now heavy, but you must take up Thaas all the same and strike at the heart of evil."  Wiping her reddened eyes, Acacia nods bravely and thanks Jenoic for his aid.

The Aspect of Jenoic turns to Jack at last.  "Jack Dunstan, you may yet achieve mastery over your dreambrand and over your heritage.  I am obliged to provide you with some aid for the dark times to come.  You are strong and steadfast, solid as the roots of the World Ash, and you will overcome the burdens in your heart.  I offer you this: a gem of summoning, which may be thrown upon the ground to summon my Aerial aspect in a time of great need.  Speak my name with a clear heart, and I will come to protect the possibility of hope."  A glittering, fist-sized diamond appears in Jack's hand, and he thanks the Huntsman before putting the gem away in his haversack.  "I must now return to Gaia, for Thaas, the Temple of the Forest Hart's treasure, now travels with you.  Much remains to be done on Gaia, and one day you will return there in the fullness of time.  Strive always against the darkness, and do not allow Lolth to complete her Abyssal Pact -- no matter the cost!"  With a great rush of air, the Huntsman turns back into a swirling whirlwind and takes flight, soon passing out of sight and beyond Karasuthra, the deepest layer of the Beastlands, leaving the six companions alone amidst the quiet glade of the Temple of the Forest Hart.  They will soon prepare to depart, and Rockbounder in particular is looking forward to their next destination: the Iron Wastes of Rime Thuras, where a demon-quelling blade awaits reclamation from the demon-worshipping forces of Abrozzar, frost giant wizard in service to Kostchtchie.

The Threefold Sundering