Adventure Log #50

THE CHARACTERS

Fionn Mac Roa-Bard about town...but this isn't a town.
Brock-Monk-Sneaking!
Garu-Elf Archer-Great Sneaking!
Jagvoc Mercy-Priest
Marcus-Former Paladin-I have worn the same armor for 30 years.
Scalla-Priestess and magic user-I do not wear the same clothes for 10 minutes.
Morgan-Head priestess of the Temple of Chaldisaya

Non-player Characters Tandy Raeder-A Dandy, grandfather of the current Jkennis of Deserata,the evil Distaria. Tandy Has always been neutral in the war.
Van Sheree-Former commander of the hosts of Chaldisaya. Possible mother of one of Marcus's children. Sheree betrayed the forces ofChaldisaya and has gone over to the evil side. She wears a metal maskthat has been welded and nailed to her head.
Goln Vay-An incarnation of the Dragon Ring known as a Storm Walker(similar to a ring wraith). They are creatures of Distarias will.

So Far: The party is trying to reach the Elf lands so Van Scalla can be free of the influence of the Dragon Rings power. Currently they are behindthe battle lines.After reading the elvish mileage marker they characters know they are on the right track to reach the Elvish Lands. They follow what little road there is but it soon turns to swamp land on either side with the ruined road barely above the muck.

They hear a sound of harsh voices up ahead, leaving the road and going around the commotion they see a siege engine being bulled out of the muck. The soldiers are all sheesh (similar to orcs). The group continues to slog to the west in an attempt to reach the river and the Elf Lands but being behind the enemy lines they keep running into support elements of the army. First it'sthe sheesh garbage dumping detail then the army's kitchens (Hmmmm,there are some things that Sheesh won't eat?)and finally the weapons smiths. Realizing that they are blocked to the North, West andNorth/West they decide to travel to the East and attempt to go around the forces.

Morgan says that she can help get the party over the enemies' lines but it will take a great deal of Chaldisays power and she will need to rest for a night before throwing the spells. The party makes camp on one of the few dry pieces of land and watches as the Bog Fog closes in. Late in the evening the watch is alerted as a yellow fog has surrounded the party. The mist pulses with activity, black veins wriggle in it. Several of the member of the group are put to sleep. Finally only Marcus and Scalla are awake, then only Scalla. She opens a short range teleport to get the party away from the thing, then throws another to make sure it's not following them.

Using a several spells to make it possible to move the sleeping characters Scalla sets off. After a few hours she is confronted by a metal dog (not Garu's new animal companion). The dog fires a beam at her, which has no effect. Moving on she encounters another of the dogs. This one has vents open in its sides and the yellow mist is spilling out of it. Eventually Scalla succumbs.

Everyone wakes up:

Scalla
Scalla wakes up. She is naked in a big comfortable bed. She issnuggled amidst silk sheets, she feels something ticking her back.When she turns over it's Jun (the Jkenna of Sylvia's rest, sort of like a king). He holding a flower, a rose with iridescent petals. He says "Wake up love, happy birthday. Come see the surprise I've got for you...

Marcus
Marcus wakes up. He's naked in a large bed. There is a familiar perfume to the room. He is shackled by one arm to the massive bedpost.Van Sheree enters wearing armor. She greets him and tells him that heis the reason that she betrayed the forces of good, since he (Marcus)seduced her when she was a girl then left her for Morgan's daughter(Marcus has no recollection of that period of his life, although he is married to Morgan's daughter). Sheree tells Marcus that eventually she will have to send him to the East (to face Jkennis Distaria) who will most likely kill him. But until then she wants her own revenge and she begins to beat him.

Brok, Finn, Garu and Jag Voc Mercy:
Brok, Finn, Garu and Jag Voc Mercy wake up. They are wearing littlemore than rags and are sleeping in a muddy hole partially filled withwater. Each has a rock shackled to their legs and several thin strandsof sliver twine around their sholdiers, necks and fingers. When they look up they see a large bull sheesh. The sheesh tells them that they will work for the army and if they try to escape they will be maimed.He gestures to a smaller sheesh who mumbles something and the silvercord on Garu's little finger tightens and in a second the finger layson the floor of the mud pit, to the howls of laughter of thesurrounding sheesh. The bull sheesh points to the silver threads around the necks of the characters and then makes a Zipping sound, he laughs some more.The characters notice they can see the elfin lands on the far side of the river.

Morgan
Morgan wakes up in a large comfy bed. Obviously she's in a large tent.There is a voice at the door asking if she's decent. when she answers yes a man walk in it's Tandy Raeder (Not old like the last time Morgan saw him, he's young again). He comes in with a pot of tea and they have a chat. He tells her that she shouldn't try to attack him or else the silver strands around her limbs and such will tighten and put them off but otherwise she is free to be at home in the tent.

In their conversation Tandy tells her that eventually she will have to be sent to the East to face Distaria. The high priestess of the DarkWoman's religions herself has asked for Morgan skull to use as a drinking cup. However Tandy says that just because that's going to happen there's no reason they can't enjoy each other's company for awhile.

Scalla
Scalla wraps a robe about herself and watches the door. Jun comes in again with a young woman who looks about 12. The girl bunches her hands together then releases them and a shower of lights fills the room (Scalla recognizes it as a variant of Dancing Lights). Jun says,"Our daughter Morgana has been practicing for a week for that.""Happy Birthday Mother." Says Morgana.

Marcus
Sheree finishes beating Marcus and tells him that she thinks it'sfunny that he's lost his paladin powers. She laughs at him saying that he put up with all of Morgan's orders and went as far as to marry her daughter to assure himself the position of Prime Paladin but now he has been abandoned by everyone. She tells him that he now know how she felt when he abandoned her.

Sheree gets a gleam in her eye and professes that in reality she still loves him and there might be a way for him to salvage his life. She tells him that he could join her and show everyone that's used him poorly that he is a great warrior and worth of the mantle of prime paladin. She tells him that he might not have to die. No one in the East is calling for his blood. Fingering the edge of her mask Sheree tells him that he would have to undergo the pain of the mask, it's blinding heat and it's nails but she says that she will be there for him and help him through it. Of course he would have commit an act of betrayal in order to join her than the masking would take place. Marcus begins to think about what she is saying.

Brok, Finn, Garu and Jag Voc Mercy
Garu decides to cast a spell on one of the dozen or so crows that are sitting around but the small sheesh sees the beginning of the spell and mumbles some thing. Suddenly there is a ziiipppp as the silverthread tightens around the elf's right arm. Then it is cut off. All of the sheesh howl with laughter and a couple sent into the hole to make sure Garu hasn't died begin to fight over the appendage. The sheesh with the whip takes the arm from them and sends the four out to work.
later back in the hole the group begins to plan an escape.

Morgan
After talking with Tandy for a while Morgan realizes that this is probably not him since he doesn't remember some of the adventures they had together. When he leaves she begins to formulate an escape plan.

Scalla
Scalla is taken back by the revelation that she and Jun are married because. He may have shown feelings towards her but has made it clear they cannot be together because the local noble object because:
1. He is the Jkenna of the Free Deseratan Forces and she is a commoner.
2.. She is a spell caster
3. There are rumors that she owns the local brothel. Which makes her at best a Whore mistress and at worst a slaver.

She turns to talk to him when suddenly a sharp spike is sticking out of her fore arm, then another sprouts from her other arm. The rooms spins and goes dark. She can feel that her mouth has been sewn shut and stuffed with nails. In front of her stands Goln Vay one of the Storm Walkers, the things shackled to the Dragon Ring a thing that she will one day become. Talking using it's telepathy ability the thing tells her that it is time for her to join their ranks. It says that the spikes can be removed by coming closer to what he is. Suddenly the spikes fall out. "That's right." says the wraith. Now the nails.Scalla feels bits of her humanity falling away as a nail passesthrough her jaw. Screaming the name of the holy lady she rips her mouth open...Goln Vay is not amused.