A Village That Thinks Together, Stays Together

The group of soldiers from The Order Of The Obsidian Dagger look down at the bodies of the three monks they have just killed. They tell themselves that the killing of them was just. They had raped a young beautiful woman. Killing them was too good for them. Maddox orders his retinue to stack the bodies on his war horse. They will give these monks a proper burial when they can. All deserve that much at least.

Kame, the old turtle, approaches the monks belongings and, curious, pokes through their packs. They did not have much. Thin bedrolls, more of the candles that they had seen the monks burning upon each rest and a few rations of wrapped rice. Maddox approaches and takes the meager rations and leaves Kame to put the few candles away inside his small pack.

A Devil For A New Friend

After resting for the evening, the group awakens the next morning to find the weather cold, grey and windy. By the time they make their way down the other side of the mountain pass, snow begins to blow around them. Below them they see, spread out before them far in the distance the faint outline of a large village and towering behind them some sort of massive towering rock spires. Beyond that is a blue haze that hints of a large body of water.

As they descend the mountain, they find themselves at the foot of the peak where there lays the ancient remains of a building. All that they can see is a field with stone ruble and pieces of walls of a building and perhaps of a tower. Maddox tells the rest to stay as he scouts further ahead with his summoned dire wolf. The wolf senses soon pick up the scent of a creature hidden behind a group of large rocks.

Laying injured and bleeding, is a tiefling. His travelling attire is ragged as it looks as if he has suffered in a recent fight. He holds his hands up to stay any strike from the paladin. He introduces himself as Sarkosh, a simple traveller and seeker of knowledge. Maddox, feeling secure, calls up the rest of the group.

A Violent Storm
8,000 XP

Further into the ruins, the group spots a single candle, sitting atop a short pillar, lit and shedding it's small globe of warm light, in the now swirling snow. As they approach, a man dressed in monks robes and tattooed in arcane symbols steps out of the glow of the candle. The group is surprised as he simply steps out of nothingness from very near the candle. He warns them that the Emperor has sent them here to die. The people here want nothing of the interference of the Emperor.

The group readies themselves as the wind howls around them. The gusting and swirling wind, hitting the group with snow and grit, begins to congeal and concentrate in two separate areas. The monk, shakes his head sadly and says, "We do not need your  Emperor's power here.". The two swirling areas of wind continue to grow until the group faces the monk and two Air Elementals, one much larger than the other.

The monk conjures a blast of wind that hits Sarkosh and Maddox's dire wolf severely enough to send them flying many feet back and flat on their backs.  The rest of the group move to surround the monk. Araxie stabs at him with her trident only to find that his form isn't as solid as she would have expected as her trident moves easily through his abdomen, leaving only a slight injury.

Sarkosh gets to his feet, some distance from the swirling winds of the meelee and, keeping his distance, fires off spells of Eldritch Blast towards the monk. Maddox charges his sword with Thunderous Smite and strikes at the monk. Soon enough the monk succumbs to his wounds, his body dissolving into wisps of cloud and blowing away in the wind.

Unfortunately, that still leaves the two air elementals to deal with, as they continue to pummel the group with gale force blasts which sends various members tumbling through the air and crashing into the rubble below. Gamma runs up a wall and pushes off the top to jump high into the air to punch into one of the air elementals. Gamma falls to the ground only to be engulfed by the elemental as it buffets him around. Gamma is finally able to escape from within the elemental but is flung through the air only to crumple into unconsciousness off near a broken wall.

After a multitude of strikes from Sarkosh's eldritch blasts, Araxie's trident strikes and finally, Maddox's continual thunderous smites, the elementals dissipate into nothingness. As the group moves through the ruins they approach the candle burning, oddly unwavering during the massive winds. As they enter the candles glow, the see what the candle's glow was concealing. A hoard of weapons and treasure. Probably from the many soldiers the Emperor had sent to claim his taxes from this land.

As the examine their new found treasure, the group finally notices the hulking lump of stone that is lying, umoving off in the corner. Gamma it seems is not getting up after the battle. In fact he has been slowly dying while they divvy up their loot. Rushing to his side they soon realize that they do not have the knowledge or skill to aid their fallen comrade. After multiple failed attempts they arrive at the method of rubbing dirt and stone into his wounds and attempting to heal and lay on hands all at the same time. This stops him from dying but he is still unconscious.

We Are As One

After spending some time tending to their own wounds, Gamma finally awakens and the whole party is able to move on towards the village of in the far distance. As they approach the village, the land becomes lush and fields grow on either side of the small paths between fields. People move about and wave at the group in a welcoming manner. Children run about and finally brave approaching the group. A few of them poke and prod Gamma. Some are fascinated by the tiefling's horns and tail. Some ask Araxie what she is. She answers with a hissing sound as she flutters out her gills, scaring off the kids until, in the distance she can hear their screams turn to laughter.'

One precocious child, Vijay, asks Maddox questions in rapid fire succession. He in turn asks the child about the village and it's inhabitants, and if they have a leader. The child responds there is no leader "We are as one."

He peppers Maddox with questions until his mother sends him away, and Maddox poses the same question to her. Who is their leader he would like to talk with him. The woman responds with the same, "We are as one." But if they need to talk to someone it might as well be Bhaga. He is in the village center preparing for the festival feast. She hopes they will stay for the feast.

Araxie meanwhile, has found the town drunk, Nogan. As various people ask if she is here for the feast, Araxie asks if there will be alcohol. They shake their heads, no. But there will be more food than the village can eat so she must come. She chats with Nogan, an emaciated old man in tattered clothes, he tells Araxie that the villagers are all a bunch of wangbadan! The village often tries to take his alcohol but he makes his own, from fermented sheep's milk. He offers Araxie some. She takes the entire bottle, takes a huge swig and walks away. Soon she is walking incredibly crooked.

The Air Ships

Gamma and Sarkosh wander through the village to investigate. They pass the village square where there is a bustling activity getting ready for the feast. Hanging pendants and lanterns. Setting up tables. Gamma and Sarkosh move on. They finally stop at a smith's workshop. A gentleman there named Imarran asks them if they are staying for the feast. Sarkosh asks if he has any weapons. Imarran says that he mostly provides fishing and construction supplies for the vessels moored on the cliffs near the waters.

With that, Sarkosh backs up and looks over the roof of the smith to see, off in the distance, rocks spires over a hundred feet tall rising into the sky out of the water. With some dificulty, Sarkosh can make out a couple of large sailing ships anchored to the rocks high above the waters, floating and bobbing in the air. Sarkosh motions to Gamma and they take their leave from Imarran and go off to investigate. The smith nods to them, "We are as one."

Sarkosh and Gamma climb the many many stair until they are eventually at the top of the rock spires. There before them is a complex of well constructed bridges, quarters and docks to which two large sailing vessels are moored. They are greeted by a large man, Agni, who asks if they wish to have a look at the ships. The quickly agree and are given a tour of the main deck of one of the ships. It is a large vessel, defended with a few balistas and a large hold which smells like fish. They thank Agni and return to the others.

The Feast

Meanwhile, Maddox and Araxie find Bhaga. He is a tall thin man who is directing work in the village center. They approach him and ask if he is the town's leader. He tells them that there is no leader here, "we are as one." But if they are here for the feast then they can stay in...he pauses... a nearby house. He walks and directs them to follow. They soon meet up with the rest of their group at a large house but soon most of the people in the house leave for the feast as they encourage the group to follow and join in. They stay back to discuss.

Maddox's servant girl, Sang Yu, fails to convince Maddox in accompanying her but is able to convince Araxie who unstably gets to her feet to go along with Sang Yu. Gamma and Sarkosh leave to join the feast but before they arrive, Gamma chooses to hide, and keeps to the now growing shadows of dusk. Sarkosh sits down and tries to make small talk to those around him.

A Passionate Speech

Maddox, sighs and finally leaves to join in the feast with the others. A spot has been saved for him by Sang Yu who beckons him over excitedly. Araxie has traded her sheeps's alcohol for her own wine. They all eat and there is much excitement throughout the villagers. At one point, someone notes that Maddox is not eating and inquires why.

Maddox responds with an impassioned speech about the Emperor's lands suffering from a famine while these people gorge themselves and do not give over their food tax, so that others may live. The village is quiet as they all listen to the passionate paladin. Bhaga stands up and says that Maddox is correct. They must not forget the rest of the world. That is why they are preparing a shipment of fish in their ships to give to the famished lands.

Maddox notices Sarkosh, at another table give a slight nod and affirms what Bhaga is saying. Maddox nods to at Bhaga and sits and eats. The rest of the villagers return to their enjoyment of the feast.

An Abrupt End

As he evening sky grows black, musicians play and then all at once, the villagers are stand without cue, and pray. They all praise the glory of Okina Hebi.

Then without a single word, they all disperse into the night. Silently returning to their homes.

The group is left alone at the village center.

The group returns to their accommodations for the evening, all except Sarkosh. Sarkosh finds an out of the way place and lights the candle that they had found in the ruins. Hidden by the candles glow he sets out to watch during the night to see if anything curious happens.

The next morning, Kama, the old turtle has found Sarkosh asleep still hidden by the candles glow. He seems curious about the candles curious power. Sarkosh gets up and stretches painfully to rejoin the others.

A Late Burial And A Burned House

Maddox announces that they have forgotten about the bodies of the three brothers they have killed o the mountain pass. They are still strapped to his war horse. This has to be fixed. He travels to the smith's for digging tools. At the smith, Imarran, tells Maddox that he need not buy the shovels he can use them and return them, "we are as one."

In fact, he says that should he wish, the children of the village would probably volunteer to do their digging. With a whistle, several children come running and indeed are excited to help. Maddox directs them to an out of the way part of the forest surrounding the village. As he is looking for a clearing they find one as well as a completely burned down house.

He asks the children whose house this was and is answered by vagueness and odd looks. He tells the children to dig, which they do with enthusiasm. While they dig, Maddox begins inscribing the runes around the hole they are digging, necessary for Zone Of Truth. Once done, he asks them again. A few of them answer, that it was the house the strangers were staying in. Maddox shows them the charcoal drawings of the fugitives they are pursuing. Yes, those are the strangers.

Where are they now?
The children laugh. They're still there!

A Gruesome Discovery
1,000 XP

 The group moves towards the house. They each start digging through the wreckage. Araxie is the one to first spot something. She finds the body of a small young myconid, a grimace of horror and pain still on his myconid face. Stool. Poor Stool, who was to Onthar Frume, the leader of the Order Of The Obsidian Dagger, a top priority in retrieving alive.

Soon they find the dead bodies of each of the fugitives they were tasked with finding. Maddox reaches down and removes the broaches signifying their belonging to The Order. This will have to do, for proving to Onthar the death of the fugitives.

As Maddox is moving through the wreckage, his foot falls through some loose boards and he is stuck, his foot dangling in a hole. The children begin moving in towards the house. Gamma is able to nimbly across and help Maddox out of the hole. Sarkosh moves towards the opening that Maddox's foot has made and peers down. The boards underneath him break free and he plummets several feet down and crashes upon his back in a darkened pit below.

As he gets up he can see a large cavern which seems roughly made and a tunnel leading off into darkness. He tells the others and they soon fashion enough rope to descend. One by one they do. Maddox unfortunately loosing his grip and crashing to the dirt floor. As he watches each of his companions descend, Sarkosh decides to distract the children by summoning small earth elementals which begin to perform acts of acrobatics, somewhat amateurishly. But is it seems to serve the purpose.

The group moves cautiously through the rough tunnels. As they move further and further down, they notice that some sort of mucous lines the tunnels in places. After finding a couple of dead ends Gamma decides to dig through a collapse section. As he breaks through and uses his uncanny monk ability to move through the slight opening, Maddox realizes that he has left his squire and Sang Yu in the village above. They may be in danger as these villagers may be the ones who killed the fugitives.

Maddox rushes back to the surface.

As Maddox pulls himself up and out of the tunnel, he stands up to find, what seems, the entire village has surrounded the burned out house and are all staring at him.

Maddox, swears to himself. Oh shit.