Bloodbeat’s Journal:
Killian collected a few adepts to help him with a Life Rock issue: myself, Elisen, Juniper, and Nib. He explained that there was something wrong at the Ayodiya Life Rock, down near Lake Ban. His elder, Key Stone, had given him the task of investigating and resolving (if possible) whatever was wrong. Key Stone explained that it had been reported that the obsidimen were afraid to return to their Life Rock, but could not explain why.
So, we headed off on the familiar southern route. About three days in, just north of Clear Creek Crossing, Nib and I both felt a pull to leave the road. We couldn’t see anything special in the astral, but both felt a strong urge to go off-road. Dragging the others along, puzzled why we’d left the road, we veered off.
The area we entered looked oddly familiar to me, but I didn’t think I’d been there before. Still, it made me shiver uncharacteristically. Something bad must’ve happened here. I started looking for spirits, and found one. So I summoned it and began talking to it.
The spirit turned out to be a t’skrang female who looked oddly familiar. I stared at her a while, and realized that she was the spirit of my previous incarnation. She explained that she’d been killed in this canyon, but some nasty crow-like birds. What a shock! To meet a previous incarnation was marvelous. She — I began calling her “Sister” at this point — was staying her to find me and help me; she knew that I would need her help. And I must agree, having my Sister’s help will be an invaluable aid in any tough situation. We bargained a bit, and in exchange for her services, I agreed to collect her remains and put them somewhere safer. That sealed the bargain. We took her remains (just some charred bones and ash) and took them with on.
The next day, we reached Clear Creek Crossing. We stopped there and found a suitable storage place for Sister, and then continued on our way.
The rest of the journey to Lake Ban was uneventful. Asking around in one of the small villages on its shores, we checked and discovered that the astral was tainted here. The villagers knew something was wrong at the Life Rock. They’d sent people to investigate a couple of times, but none had returned. They assured us that the Pilgrim’s Passage connecting the Ayodiya Life Rock to Syrtis was still safe, not tainted.
Further, they said that about three weeks ago, two people came through heading to the Life Rock. These people looked battered, as if they’d been in a fierce battle. The pair consisted of a troll and a dwarf, both carrying axes.
Before heading to the Life Rock, I summoned Sister and asked if she’d help us with whatever we found, either by Aiding me, or by providing True Sight. She agreed. We then continued down the Pilgrim’s Passage to the Life Rock. Where the tunnel ended, at the edge of the Life Rock, astral space was corrupted. Elisen flew up and scouted, reporting that the passage led into a maze that ultimately led to the Life Rock. He agreed to stay aloft and guide us in.
The walls of the maze were made of rock, but with peculiar scales coating them. Could these scales be some kind of dead body? Perhaps, but if they were obsidiman cadavers, they were under-nourished and weak compared to a normal obsidiman. We continued onward, following Elisen’s directions. The scales or bodies continued, until finally, they suddenly stopped and all we saw were bare stone walls.
Up ahead, there was a large open area with an obsidiman talking (interacting?) with a cadaver man. The cadaver man looked strange; he was built like a human, but had stone-like skin, and was about 7’ tall. Looking further into the area, we saw a total of four cadaver men.
See no other choice, we attacked the cadaver men. I called on Sister to Aid me, and she did marvelously well. The fight was odd. Only the cadaver men that we attacked fought back. The rest stood there, watching perhaps, or waiting. In any case, they only attacked when attacked first.
Eventually the battle ended and Killian talked to the obsidiman. He said that one day the walking dead arrived, humans, many of whom they knew. They didn’t attack, but they wouldn’t leave when asked either. Checking the astral, Nib noted that the center of the corruption was on the southeast side of the Life Rock. But there were lots, dozens, maybe hundreds, maybe thousands of undead blocking the exit there!
Killian communed with the Life Rock about the situation. That took a while. Meanwhile, Elisen and Nib flew to the center of the corruption to see what was there. Ultimately we spend the night at the Life Rock, setting watches, of course. Although Juniper snuck out during the night, to who knows where.
While Elisen was on watch, two figures entered the area. He recognized them as Ursal and Torgan, two now dead adventurers that he had known. Elisen awakened Killian, who awakened the rest of us. Meanwhile, Elisen talked to the two figures. He asked, “What happened?” The figures replied that they were dead, but they felt that they needed to be here, so somehow, they rose up and came here. Elisen asked “Why do the cadaver men stay here?” They answered that it was for the Life Rock’s own safety. At this point, Elisen noticed that neither of the figures was breathing. Not a surprise, but rather confirmation.
Next question, “What called you here?” The figures pointed to a large pile of trinkets, debris and the like. They dug through the pile and brought out a mask, with feathers and a beak, Naming it Gharmek. Uh oh, birds, … again. Further discussion revealed that the mask had called them, and then insisted that they bring it here.
The mask’s eyes opened. It could only be a Horror. That explained everything. The Horror was here to feed on the essence of the obsidimen and their Life Rock; a place of safety with lots of Name-givers to torture. Then melee began with Elisen trying to stab the mask.
I Summoned and bargained with my Sister for her help. She wanted her remains to be somewhere busier, more interesting than Clear Creek Crossing, so I offered to bring her to Throal with me, and she could stay iwith me. Sister readily agreed, and the fight began.
We fought numerous cadaver men and the Horror, while Ursal and Torgan watched. Finally, the Horror was killed and the cadaver men collapsed into dust. Ursal’s and Torgan’s bodied slumped to the ground at the same moment the Horror died, too. We burned their bodies to ash to ensure they were never brought back again.
Once the battle was over, the Life Rock’s obsidimen all woke up, but this time without the look of dread on their faces. We’d freed them from the Horror. In their gratitude they promised to help us with various training. They also paid us with a large number of rare gem stones, both beautiful and valuable.
On the way back to Throal, I collected Sister’s remains from Clear Creek Crossing and carried them with me, home to Throal.
AAR(5H): Obsidiman Trouble (2020-10-01 @ 2200 GMT)
Moderator:etherial
Re: AAR(5H): Obsidiman Trouble
<date equivalent to October 1, 2020>
To whom it may concern at the Great Library,
I saw Killian the other day, and he asked that I join him on a trip to the Ayodhya liferock (hex 49.19). Keystone, one of the pair of elders at the Gannagroth liferock (hex 44.07), had sensed that there was trouble at Ayodhya. He was sending Killian to investigate what was going on and lend aid as needed to the rock brothers.
We were joined by Elisen the winding cavalryman, Juniper the elven shadow and Bloodbeat the t’skrang Nethermancer. I have to say, I was a little surprised when Juniper joined us wearing only a thong and a trench coat as he left the party he was attending (it was 9 AM), and I was a little taken aback by the dream-dust all over his nostrils, but I didn’t ask; was just glad that we had time for it to work its way out of his system while we traveled south from Throal (hex 43.09).
Shortly before reaching Clear Creek Crossing (in hex 43.11, CCC is in hex 43.12) we ran across a very strange spiritual disturbance. Both Bloodbeat and I both sensed it. We were concerned and didn’t want to leave a potential threat at our backs or one that might harm the residents of CCC, so we led the party off-road a bit to see what was causing it.
My gut sank as I recognized the valley where the Deceivers had been incubating their young, and where Bloodbeat’s previous incarnation had died. Bloodbeat performed a strange nethermatic ritual and summoned her previous incarnation, then bargained with her “sister” for aid. It was all very… …odd. The astral display was like nothing I’d been privileged to see before (see diagrams and notes in Appendix A). Bloodbeat’s bargain involved transporting her sister’s remains, and it was a solemn moment as I pointed out the spot where we had burned her previous body and she gathered up a symbolic handful of charred bones and ashes.
We continued south. Bloodbeat purchased a small jar in Clear Creek Crossing and buried the remains where her sister could keep an eye on the town. I noted that she told none of the townsfolk about their new “resident” and we continued on our way.
In Kampung Gajah (hex 44.13) we arranged travel on a V’strimon riverboat headed south. The river journey was quite pleasant and relatively uneventful. I must say the Wind Gypsy has an excellent doctor (what the t’skrang call a ship’s cook); his hand with spices on fresh caught fish roasted over that little grill still make my mouth water. If you get the chance, it’s well worth trying.
We disembarked at the last stop before the Floating City in Lake Ban (hex 50.19), at a little riverside village named “Plonk” (evidently for the sound a local fishing bobber makes when pulled under – the place is well known in certain fishing circles, hex 49.18). Asking around, we learned that the pilgrimage route from the seat of the Old Man of the Nets was still active, but that the local obsidiman had not been around much. A tour of the local riverfront bars left me with conflicting stories about folks going up the hill to the liferock and not returning. There was also something about a battle scarred troll and dwarf. Huh.
In the morning, we took a ferry across the river and started up the section of the pilgrimage route up Ayodhya. I was relieved to see that astral space along the route was still pure, tho I alerted my companions that the astral was growing increasingly polluted as we got closer to the liferock. The astral stayed clear on the pilgrimage route itself as it wound past the area sacred to the obsidimen and approached the last seat of the Old Man overlooking Lake Ban. The area around the liferock was horribly tainted tho.
The sacred area had stunning red rock cliffs rising forty yards up into the air, in a maze of channels around the protruding part of the liferock itself.
Elisen scouted ahead and guided us through the rock maze. As we approached the center, the astral corruption grew increasingly intense and the walls grew to be covered in what appeared to be undead obsidimen posing in the stone, writhing in anguish (never a good sign). When we rounded the final turn, Killian gave a great cry and rushed what appeared to be an undead cadaver obsidiman next to an exhausted obsidiman.
While we backed Killian’s play, the fight was odd. There were a number of obsidimen and cadaver men in the central area, but the cadavermen did not attack unless attacked. As the fight wore down, the exhausted obsidiman, Micolede, told Killian that it did no good. The undead arose again each day no matter how many or what method you used to kill them. He pointed down the maze passage and told us that no one was allowed to leave once they had entered, either. We saw a nauseating sight; the undead had left their places on the walls back in the maze, forming an army that filled the entire passage.
Elisen was able to fly over the maze, as was I, but it would not be possible for our companions. A detailed astral survey revealed an area where the corruption was more intense, but a thorough search didn’t reveal anything. Elisen retrieved some goods from his animal companions, so we set watches and bedded down for the night.
During the night, the troll and dwarf returned with game to feed the obsidimen in their cage. Elisen was horrified to realize that he had known the two, Torgun the troll and Ursal the dwarf. He spoke with them and they talked about how they were called back to life and to come here, and hunt to feed the obsidimen so that they could stay safely in the area around the liferock. It was a bizarre conversation.
The two undead then showed Elisen a pile of junk that included a strange mask that turned out to be the face of a type of horror called a Gharmek!
It’s maggot like body extended underground while the head poked up to savor Elisen’s disgust at seeing the reanimated bodies of his friends.
The Gharmek tried to mesmerize Elisen and propose some type of deal, but the cavalryman was having none of it and charged. As did the army of undead up the passage to the central area. As did the cadavermen hanging around by the exhausted obsidimen. Yay.
Our strategy focused on the Gharmek in the hope that if the horror went down, the magic animating all the undead would break. Thank the passions it worked. The horror fell just as the massive wave of undead reached the central cavern. We burned its maggot body and helped the obsidimen as they began the work of cleansing their sacred home.
The other of the pair of obsidiman elders, Imogeode expressed the liferock’s gratitude for all our help, and gave us a cache of gemstones in payment, as well as offered us training for our bodies and minds.
All in all, it was quite an experience. I was quite thrilled to discover that the Wind Gypsy was making the return trip after our training. We boarded the ship, celebrated with an excellent dinner, and returned to Throal so relieved that the liferock was on the mend.
Yours in Service,
Nib
To whom it may concern at the Great Library,
I saw Killian the other day, and he asked that I join him on a trip to the Ayodhya liferock (hex 49.19). Keystone, one of the pair of elders at the Gannagroth liferock (hex 44.07), had sensed that there was trouble at Ayodhya. He was sending Killian to investigate what was going on and lend aid as needed to the rock brothers.
We were joined by Elisen the winding cavalryman, Juniper the elven shadow and Bloodbeat the t’skrang Nethermancer. I have to say, I was a little surprised when Juniper joined us wearing only a thong and a trench coat as he left the party he was attending (it was 9 AM), and I was a little taken aback by the dream-dust all over his nostrils, but I didn’t ask; was just glad that we had time for it to work its way out of his system while we traveled south from Throal (hex 43.09).
Shortly before reaching Clear Creek Crossing (in hex 43.11, CCC is in hex 43.12) we ran across a very strange spiritual disturbance. Both Bloodbeat and I both sensed it. We were concerned and didn’t want to leave a potential threat at our backs or one that might harm the residents of CCC, so we led the party off-road a bit to see what was causing it.
My gut sank as I recognized the valley where the Deceivers had been incubating their young, and where Bloodbeat’s previous incarnation had died. Bloodbeat performed a strange nethermatic ritual and summoned her previous incarnation, then bargained with her “sister” for aid. It was all very… …odd. The astral display was like nothing I’d been privileged to see before (see diagrams and notes in Appendix A). Bloodbeat’s bargain involved transporting her sister’s remains, and it was a solemn moment as I pointed out the spot where we had burned her previous body and she gathered up a symbolic handful of charred bones and ashes.
We continued south. Bloodbeat purchased a small jar in Clear Creek Crossing and buried the remains where her sister could keep an eye on the town. I noted that she told none of the townsfolk about their new “resident” and we continued on our way.
In Kampung Gajah (hex 44.13) we arranged travel on a V’strimon riverboat headed south. The river journey was quite pleasant and relatively uneventful. I must say the Wind Gypsy has an excellent doctor (what the t’skrang call a ship’s cook); his hand with spices on fresh caught fish roasted over that little grill still make my mouth water. If you get the chance, it’s well worth trying.
We disembarked at the last stop before the Floating City in Lake Ban (hex 50.19), at a little riverside village named “Plonk” (evidently for the sound a local fishing bobber makes when pulled under – the place is well known in certain fishing circles, hex 49.18). Asking around, we learned that the pilgrimage route from the seat of the Old Man of the Nets was still active, but that the local obsidiman had not been around much. A tour of the local riverfront bars left me with conflicting stories about folks going up the hill to the liferock and not returning. There was also something about a battle scarred troll and dwarf. Huh.
In the morning, we took a ferry across the river and started up the section of the pilgrimage route up Ayodhya. I was relieved to see that astral space along the route was still pure, tho I alerted my companions that the astral was growing increasingly polluted as we got closer to the liferock. The astral stayed clear on the pilgrimage route itself as it wound past the area sacred to the obsidimen and approached the last seat of the Old Man overlooking Lake Ban. The area around the liferock was horribly tainted tho.
The sacred area had stunning red rock cliffs rising forty yards up into the air, in a maze of channels around the protruding part of the liferock itself.
Elisen scouted ahead and guided us through the rock maze. As we approached the center, the astral corruption grew increasingly intense and the walls grew to be covered in what appeared to be undead obsidimen posing in the stone, writhing in anguish (never a good sign). When we rounded the final turn, Killian gave a great cry and rushed what appeared to be an undead cadaver obsidiman next to an exhausted obsidiman.
While we backed Killian’s play, the fight was odd. There were a number of obsidimen and cadaver men in the central area, but the cadavermen did not attack unless attacked. As the fight wore down, the exhausted obsidiman, Micolede, told Killian that it did no good. The undead arose again each day no matter how many or what method you used to kill them. He pointed down the maze passage and told us that no one was allowed to leave once they had entered, either. We saw a nauseating sight; the undead had left their places on the walls back in the maze, forming an army that filled the entire passage.
Elisen was able to fly over the maze, as was I, but it would not be possible for our companions. A detailed astral survey revealed an area where the corruption was more intense, but a thorough search didn’t reveal anything. Elisen retrieved some goods from his animal companions, so we set watches and bedded down for the night.
During the night, the troll and dwarf returned with game to feed the obsidimen in their cage. Elisen was horrified to realize that he had known the two, Torgun the troll and Ursal the dwarf. He spoke with them and they talked about how they were called back to life and to come here, and hunt to feed the obsidimen so that they could stay safely in the area around the liferock. It was a bizarre conversation.
The two undead then showed Elisen a pile of junk that included a strange mask that turned out to be the face of a type of horror called a Gharmek!
It’s maggot like body extended underground while the head poked up to savor Elisen’s disgust at seeing the reanimated bodies of his friends.
The Gharmek tried to mesmerize Elisen and propose some type of deal, but the cavalryman was having none of it and charged. As did the army of undead up the passage to the central area. As did the cadavermen hanging around by the exhausted obsidimen. Yay.
Our strategy focused on the Gharmek in the hope that if the horror went down, the magic animating all the undead would break. Thank the passions it worked. The horror fell just as the massive wave of undead reached the central cavern. We burned its maggot body and helped the obsidimen as they began the work of cleansing their sacred home.
The other of the pair of obsidiman elders, Imogeode expressed the liferock’s gratitude for all our help, and gave us a cache of gemstones in payment, as well as offered us training for our bodies and minds.
All in all, it was quite an experience. I was quite thrilled to discover that the Wind Gypsy was making the return trip after our training. We boarded the ship, celebrated with an excellent dinner, and returned to Throal so relieved that the liferock was on the mend.
Yours in Service,
Nib