The Tree Of Life

Kicked out of yet another city.

This session begins with the awkward silence after Aelar has inadvertently killing their Athas guide, Kirvin. Arisphistaneles, Kirvin's mentor stands in stunned silence looking down at Kirvin's dead body with a Flying Dagger embedded in his head. After a short silence, Ninaki bends down and begins to go through Kirvin's clothes looking for anything valuable or important. Arisphistaneles is not impressed but is unable to thwart the hulking mul. One of the items that Ninaki finds on Kirvin's body is a map. Zaya notices a young acolyte run out the back of the tent.

Arisphistaneles, turns his anger towards Aelar. Realizing that it was a horrible accident he asks Aelar for compensation that will sustain Kirvin's family. After a few tense words Aelar is finally convinced to give up a large portion of his money, 50 gold bits and an onyx gem. Guards arrive along with a goliath, who have come to investigate the death as it was reported to them via the acolyte who had left.

While this is taking place, the others, are investigating the meager library within Arisphistaneles' tent. Boy is eager to find spells, such as 'Raise The Dead' or 'Speak With The Dead' but the book that Fluffy has retrieved is old and fragile. Much of the book is unreadable but 'Boy' is able to find a ritual of 'Deathly Shroud' with the aid of Sparrows rediscovered magical 'Reading Spectacles'.

After a few words from Arisphistaneles, they decide that any further actions would not be beneficial but warn the party that they are encouraged to leave the city as soon as possible. With that said they exit the tent. Arisphistaneles, is of the same mind. He wishes to have nothing more to do with these adventurers and asks them to leave.

Damage done. The group moves back to their sand skiff for the evening.

The next morning the party pulls anchor and moves off in the direction indicated by the map they have discovered on the body of Kirvin. The map ancient and readable only via Sparrow's 'reading spectacles' gives directions to something referred to as 'The Dragon's Foot' and is pictured in the map as a swirling storm.

A Storm Of Revelation
1,050 XP

As the heat of the day becomes unbearable for a few of the party, including Fluffy and Zaya, the sand skiff moves towards a column of dark swirling sand that reaches high in the sky far off in the distance. As they move closer they realize the dark column of swirling sand is in fact a large storm miles across. It moves in a  near perfect circular cyclone. Moving nearer Fluffy notices movement at the base of the storm.  Humanoid shapes move about. Several of them.

Deciding that a head on approach is best, the Aelar is instructed to keep a straight heading towards the storm. When they have approached near enough they can make out several human bandits with a large group of captives. One by one the bandits are throwing captives into the wall made by the swirling storm. The group stands transfixed as they watch the flailing captive being sucked up into the storm and disappearing into it and instant later.

Sand gets everywhere. I mean everywhere!

Most of the party moves below decks while Ninaki straps himself to the mast with rope and orders Aelar to continue moving the skiff into the storm without slowing. As the skiff moves towards the storm wall, they pass among tall cliffs which reveal a number of warrior bandits hiding behind and on top of. As the skiff moves past these the bandits continually try to board the ship or throw barbed spears towards both Ninaki and Aelar. Some are able to board the ship as it moves and even wound both Ninaki and Aelar but not for very long. Ninaki is able to fend them off well enough until Aelar's force push sends them, all but one, careening off of the sand skiff. Some are pushed off in front of the skiff only to recover just in time to see the skiff run over their prone bodies and kill them. Ninaki yells a warrior's yell which is quickly snatched by the overpowering wind. No verbal communication is possible over the storms noise.

Aelar continues to drive the skiff towards the wall of wind and debris crushing several bandit bodies underneath is keel, as well as a human captive destined for sacrifice. They move headlong straight into the storm. The storm's winds hits each of the characters topside on the skiff. Ninaki, bound to the mast laughs and yells enjoying the buffeting storm. Aelar decides a bit of magical protection is in order. He summons a five foot wide wall of stone to surround him and the bandit who is cowering nearby holding onto the railing. A smart use of magical skill. That is until the sheer weight of tons of stone breaks through the deck of the ship.

'Boy', Fluffy and Sparrow each dive out of the way of the crashing deck down into the hold below. Zaya simply stands aside casually out of harms way. Aelar, crashing into the hold below lets go of the spell and the wall instantly vanishes leaving a gaping hole through which both Aelar and Sparrow are sucked up and out into the storm. 'Boy' barely is able to cling onto a broken piece of decking in order to prevent him from disappearing into the storm.

Moments later, the skiff emerges on the other side of the storm wall and howling storm is behind them. Fluffy quickly scurries on deck and finds both Aelar and Sparrow amid the storm. They are easily 50 feet up and about another 50 feet away from the storm wall. Well out of the way from any spells they may have had in order to help them. Ninaki simply sits down with his hookah to enjoy the show. Zaya still holding onto the deck rails glances around and notices behind them large rock structures, one of which looks like a face. It's mouth an entrance into the rock itself.

 Up inside the storm, Sparrow transforms into his bird form and is able to at least guide himself, if unable to escape the incredible winds. Aelar on the other hand is tossed mercilessly by the storm and is unable to know up from down. He reaches out with his mind to try and communicate with his rat companion but to no avail. In a momentary lessening of wind Sparrow is able to descend a number a feet before being buffeted by the winds again. Aelar, also experiencing the same lessening decides to aim his body, arrow like, down towards the ground, and plummets 30 feet downwards.  After being carried by he wind again there is another lessening of the wind which allows Sparrow to escape out of the storm and alight back on the skiff. Aelar is able to use this lessening to again plummet uncontrolled down head first into the ground taking damage just shy of death. Zaya and Fluffy run to Aelars aid and pull him out of the sand while magically healing his broken bones.

After a brief rest and debate, they move into the mouth of the cave.


MetaGame Spoiler Inside

(DM Note: I was really hoping that the group would hit the final boss battle this session so I was a little worried that this encounter would slow them down too much. There were a lot of enemies to get through. Silly me. Why not just drive a skiff through them and over them. Job Done.

An Entrance Long Awaited
1,590 XP

As they enter and descend into the rock the party feels cool for the first time. Perhaps for Ninaki this is the first time he has ever felt this cool in his life. Not only is the temperature cool and comfortable but the air is moist.

They do not get to enjoy the feeling for very long though. They are immediately beset upon by foul worm like creatures. They crawl under the ground and down from the ceilings and walls and bite at the party. Just as they are getting a handle on these, wraith-like spirits enter the corridor and speak to them in a language that they do not know.  Aelar, while unable to understand the exact words of the creature can from his schooling gets a general gist of what the creature is saying.

The creatures believes the party are servants of Nibenay and orders them to leave. The group tries to convince the spirits that they are not servants of Nibenay and are here for good but the spirits are not convinced. The spirits eventually are able to find a common language and tells the group that they are entrusted to protect the Tree Of Life and will take no chances.

The group decides to kill them all.

After looking up and down the corridor the group doesn't find anything. That is until Zaya decides to kick at some of the debris lying around on the floor. Looking through the mix of bones, rock and other detritus reveals a few vials of 'Blackdragon Bile', a suit of 'Blending Armor' and a scroll of 'Comprehend Language'.

Competitors For The Seed Of Life
2,250 XP

Moving through the corridor, the group finds it opens up into a large cavern. Here is the source of moisture. The cave is covered in grasses, mosses and vines. Further back in the cavern is a large tree. The Tree Of Life. It is dying. It is leafless and brittle with a single large brown seed holding onto one of the branches.

previous acting credits: 'Honey I Shrunk The Kids'

Surrounding the Tree Of Life is an umoving circle of mist. 'Boy' senses a massive amount of magic coming from the seed as well as some magical emanations from the mist. 'Boy' tries to dispel the magic mist but the mist remains. Aelar hands Zaya, Kyorli his rat companion, and boldly steps through the fog. He moves through the fog to end up on the other side beside the tree, the seed hanging directly above him within reach. Instead he simply sits down and looks depressed. The others wisely not wanting to cross the mist try to get Aelar to come back with the seed but the elf simply sits there and says 'what's the use'.

Soon enough 'Boy' is unable to 'dispel magic' and the mist blows away and disappears. At that moment several creatures emerge from the opposite side of the cave. They are upright creatures that have 4 arms and 2 legs. Each arm is clawed and they chitter to the group to leave the seed for them. Everyone prepares for battle, except Aelar who dejectedly watches sitting against the Tree.

The lead thri-kreen runs to the tree and plucks the seed from the tree. Ninaki is the first to challenge him and they trade blows until there is a dead thri-kreen leader at the mul's feet. The seed unfortunately has been handed to another thri-kreen and it now tries to escape with the seed. Fluffy, Zaya and Sparrow are each having to fend of a creature of their own, while 'Boy' is sending off magic-missles wearing every enemy down.

Finally, a thri-kreen is able to hand off the seed with his dying effort and Fluffy chases the creature out through a crack in the rock to the outside of the mountain. Fluffy emerges back into the blazing hot sun of Athas and is witness to the thri-kreen crawling up inside the mouth of a massive crawling creature made from various materials including thousands of bones, which ends up crawling right past him. Atop the creature, Fluffy sees several thri-kreen as well as other humanoids. The creature is easily 30 feet tall and long like a giant lizard. Fluffy rushes back into the cave to warn the others that the seed is escaping via a massively constructed walking creature.

The group has to clear the room of the remaining enemies, which they do in short order and grab the depressed elf off of the ground and retreat to their skiff. 'Boy' is able to, after a couple attempts to remove the magical disease from Aelar while above decks Fluffy is attempting to drive the skiff following the massive crawling ship's footprints. The soon learn that Fluffy doesn't really know what he is doing and has lost the tracks.

Aelar, now healed, comes atop and takes over the broken rudder as Sparrow takes to the sky to find the crawling ship. Together they get the skiff back on course and are now headed towards the tail of the massive creature.

Tune in next time.