Adventure Log #31

Adventure Log #31 (Mountain Vale)

Aki-Professional killer
Finn-Bard
Estryellia-Mage
Finn-Bard
Marcus-Paladin
Serrif-Fighter with an “evil” twin
Scalla-Mage
Ulysses-Rogue
Ember
Brian-Ranger

The Myotian forces attach but are driven off. the party regroups to discuss a plan . They’re talking in a barracks tent and overhear the soldiers talking about the cards they’re playing with. Each time they deal the cards the same symbols come up on them. When the players place the cards they come up the same. The party decides that this must be some kind of arcane clue. They decide that one of the symbols indicates the Blister.

The travel back to the blister and go through the gate. Once through the gate they go through the fourteenth gate (one of the cards) and arrive at an underground/underwater glass enclosure. They see some light above so they know that they aren’t too deep down. Swimming up and to shore they discover that they have found a secret entrance to Deserata. They island that they are on is the former home of the Manthootinas called Red Isle.

The small town that use to stand on the isle has been wrecked and the large statue that was the center piece has been partial knocked down. After looking around they discover that their old friend Elima aka Dark Estell has taken up residence on the island. She explains that here and a group of adventurers came here to spy on Deserata but found that the island was a trap. Anyone who sets foot on the island cannot leave it without dying.
After several days on the island Elima has her way with several men of the group and everyone begins to have strange dreams.

Estryellia-Has a dream that she is the Jkennis of Deserata. In another dream she given up the title of Sorcerer and married Emrore Jun. It is several years in the future and only their castle remains fighting against a dark force. She is forced to flee as the darklings storm the castle.

Fin-Fins dream is that he is invited to a large party to perform. When he arrives it turns out that the host wants to use his as performance art and carve him to pieces while Fins sings.

Serrif had a dream that his is having relations with an unknown woman standing at his side is a young Second Kingdomer girl.

Dreams aside they also discover that Distaria is sending work crews to the island in the dead of night. The crews consisting primarily of undead and led by a priestess are digging up one of the older areas of the island. Estryellia recognizes the priestess as the woman that betrayed the party years ago in another adventure. The woman Cybil Celiett is dressed as a Chaldite priestess as directing the undead to dig holes in what looks like a graveyard. The party is discussing and they decide that they should take a chance and leave while they can. That night they island is overrun by hordes of undead led by the new Dark Champion Van Sheree a former friend of there’s. The combat is fast and furious but in the end the party is vanquished except for Fin the bard who escapes into the night and Estryelia who is whisked away by a mysterious gate that opens up near her and beckons her in.

When the party wakes up they find themselves in the palace of Distaria I. Instead of an evil goddess like creature they are confronted by a youngish girl wearing a lavish headscarves and diamond encrusted clothes. She tells the party they have nothing to fear from her and or Deserata and all she and her kingdom want is friendly relations with the other realms.

Distaria tells them that they can leave any time they want and is they wish she will prepare a barge to take them to the inland sea. Stunned by this they party is confronted by guards escorting a haggard looking Morgan. The priestess is covered with grime and holds a burlap sack in one hand and a bloody axe in the other. Distaria tells they party that they discovered the former high priestess in the act of killing one of her guests. When they open the bag they find Scala’s head in it. Scala is taken back seeing her own head plop out onto the floor. Distraria mentions that Scala must now feel much safer knowing that Morgan has killed the original Scala. Scala protests that she is the original and that what ever Morgan killed was the clone.

Brian is also reunited with his wife Tinuellian. Lying on a couch covered with pillows she tells him that she doesn’t want to ever see him again she has a note given to Brian. Brian tries to go to her but is stopped by the Jkennises guards. In a low note for the party they are sent to private quarters outside the castle.

Accompanying them is a small army of maids the groups also had a person called a Holy Icon assigned to them the Icon whose name is Robin looks like the girl in Serrifs dream from the other night. The next day she offers to take them on a tour of the city. The party is taken to the former temple of Chaldisaya. Inside they see that most of the building has been gutted and stripped of its finery.

Once inside Robin tells the party that they are in great danger (as if they didn’t know it). She tells them that the Jkennis wants to know how they got into the city and once she finds out she will probably kill them. She says that one of the few places they can talk freely is the former temple. She says that she has some contacts with a group of True men that would like to overthrow the Jkennis and she will put them in contact with the party is the group promises to take her with them. The party promises and Robin also tells them that she wants to marry Serrif . She says that she has only dreamed about Serrif all her life and knows that she must marry him and have sex with him or the Jkenis will give her to his evil doppelganger. Unmoved by this Serrif says he doesn’t want to marry anyone but Robin agrees that she will still help the group.

Later while reading the letter that Brian’s former wife Tinuellian gave him. Brian discovers a code in the text (with the help of Aki). After uncoding it reads, “Beloved, they have cut off my hand and feet”.

A day or so later after a meeting with the “Resistance” the characters are told where in the castle Tinuellian is being held. Under the pretence of attending services in the castle they make their way through the ground floor. In one of the cells they find Robin, freeing her they continue and come across a small temple with a statue of Distaria. On the statues forehead are jewel like markings. Aki starts ranting about the ancient enemy is amongst them, after getting her quiet they move on and find the High priestess Cillett in bed with a Trueman lover. The priestess throws a few spells at the party before disappearing leaving the naked man trying to hide form the party.

Part of the group has pushed past the room and down a hall where they encounter a group of True Men torturing a handless and footless Tinuellian. They rescue her then make for a secret exit provided by the True man named Button willow, who says that he is a part of the resistance.

As they get to the bottom of the castle Button willow wants to take Morgan aside and show her something. The two go away for a few minutes. When they return Morgan is visibly shaken and carrying a headless body. Making their way out of the castle the group bids Button willow good by and make their way into the temple of Chaldisaya where they will use the priest gate to leave. As the group is entering they are attacked by Distarias forces and only barely make it to the gate and back to Stand Town.

The journey from Brightwater is uneventful. When asked what she saw at first Morgan refuses to discuss it later see tells the group that she saw the body of the goddess Chaldisaya in a huge cavern. The goddess was being drained of her power as was near death. The party discuss this and figures that this might be the reason why the goddess has done so little to help them lately.
She shows them the headless body that Button willow provided to her. It is the body of the former Jkennis Debora. Once in Brightwater they reunite it with the head (which has appeared asleep all these years.) Placing the head on the body the two grow back together but the body stays asleep.

Morgan cures Tinuellian of her injuries but she also stays in a coma. She is taken down to the dwelling of Morgan stepdaughter Eyon to see if earth magic can help either of them. Eyon says that she can’t help the Jkennis but will she what she can do for Tinuellian since she is also an earth mage. Brian who has carried his wife since they escape from Deserata hands her over but waits outside the door of the room. In the night Tinuellian comes to him and tells him that she cannot continue to live on Avalyn since the destruction of Tyrer (her world) She says that she will pass on leaving only a spirit in the nearby grounds to help Eyon in her work. Brian says that he will remain waiting for her but Tinuellian tells him that he shouldn’t spend his life living on her grave and instead should travel and do good things.